Digital Bob Archive

Alaska's First Capitol: In 1912 Alaskans elected their first Territorial Legislature which, according to law, was to meet at Juneau on the first Monday of March. A problem was that there was no building in which to meet, no Capitol building. So Congess, which was financing the entire cost of the session, included funds to rent a temporary Capitol and left it to the legislators to make the arrangements.

Congress had not been overly generous and pungled up only $42,260 to see the Legislature through its 60 days. Of this, $21,600 was for salaries of the 24 members, $6,500 for mileage for the members to get to and from Juneau, $5,150 to pay employees, $2,000 to rent the chambers, and $7,000 to print the journals, session laws and other material.

There was a little saving on members' salaries because one member of the House resigned before the session started. The rest of the budget was tight.

Three places were offered for that first Capitol and on February 21, 1913, ten days before the start of the session, the 13 legislators then in Juneau met at the Council Chambers to consider them. The Opera House at Second and Seward required too much renovation, leaving the Odd Fellows Hall at $1,860 for the session, the Elks Hall at $1,850. The only real debate was over the seating.
The Elks offered only straight-backed chairs, the Odd Fellows had more comfortable swivel chairs.

In recent times both attention and money have been devoted to comfortable seating for legislators, but the men of 1913 were of sterner stuff, with tougher anatomies. Besides, $10 was $10 in those departed days. They opted for the Elks Hall and straight chairs, and on March 3 that became Alaska's first Capitol.

Elks Lodge No. 420 had been granted a charter in 1898 and in 1903 had purchased a building lot on Franklin Street. The foundation was put in the following year at a cost of $4,000 and the building was started in 1907 and dedicated on March 18, 1909. The cost was reported as $33,000.

The Legislature, according to a news story, got the entire Elks Hall for its exclusive use. That would appear to have been more space than was really needed because at that time the building had three full floors. The top one was removed in 1941.

The Legislators probably liked the arrangement but the Elks members did not. Before the 1915 legislative session rolled around they voted not to again rent out their hall.