The vision ...
of the non-profit, member-supported Sitka Maritime Heritage Society is to restore the Japonski Island Boathouse, creating an active boat repair facility and center for maritime heritage and education.
The Story of the Japonski Island Boathouse and Marine Ways
Sitka’s Japonski Island Boathouse, built in 1941, stands today as a distinctive, iconic waterfront structure representing an era when people’s lives were completely woven in with water transport. It was erected by the military just prior to World War II, as part of Sitka’s Naval Air Station, the country’s only defense installation on the North Pacific operating when World War II began. It featured a rail and cradle system that allowed boats to be hauled out of the water and brought under cover so they could be repaired.
The state acquired the land in the early 80s and the Boathouse, no longer used, fell into disrepair. In the mid- 2000s the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society facilitated the transfer of this property from DNR to the City and Borough of Sitka. We lease the property for the purpose of restoring the building as a public maritime heritage center.
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The Need for a Maritime Heritage Center
The best visions are ones which fulfill an actual need, and that is the case here. Sitka currently has no covered boat repair facility, but it does have many classic boats in need of repair, and it has young and old mariners wishing to build and restore quality watercraft. Furthermore, there are dozens of maritime heritage centers around the country, but Southeast Alaska, a region with tremendous maritime history, still does not have a heritage center of its own.
Enter ... Sitka's Maritime Heritage Society
The non-profit member-supported Maritime Heritage Society was founded in 1999 to restore the schooner Merlin for use as a youth training ship. That vessel was transferred to another nonprofit, and the society's focus became the restoration and reuse of this building.
This historic site is part of Sitka's WWII US Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses National Historic Landmark, which also includes the UAS campus and the SEARHC Community Health Building, as well as the WWII Causeway on the other side of Sitka's airport. The Boathouse, one of the few standing original wood buildings left in the Landmark, has undergone an amazing transformation under the leadership of the SMHS.
The non-profit member-supported Maritime Heritage Society was founded in 1999 to restore the schooner Merlin for use as a youth training ship. That vessel was transferred to another nonprofit, and the society's focus became the restoration and reuse of this building.
This historic site is part of Sitka's WWII US Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses National Historic Landmark, which also includes the UAS campus and the SEARHC Community Health Building, as well as the WWII Causeway on the other side of Sitka's airport. The Boathouse, one of the few standing original wood buildings left in the Landmark, has undergone an amazing transformation under the leadership of the SMHS.
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Thanks to Motivated Hands and Hearts ...
Much has been accomplished!
Much has been accomplished!
SMHS members, volunteers and funders combined efforts to rebuild the foundation ~ a critical step to saving the building, and securing it for a long time going forward.
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New Foundation … Ta – Daaaaa!
Once the jubilant shouting died down, however, there was the small matter of a rotten roof to attend to …
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First comes thought, then organization of that thought into ideas and plans, then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.
~ Napoleon Hill
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In 2010, Northwind Architects of Juneau completed a set of bid-ready architectural and engineering plans for the Boathouse restoration. The plans are designed to bring the building up to code while maintaining its original historic features and character. Phase I of the construction plans was bid out—replacing the roof—and in 2011, that big job was accomplished, using a prestigious Save America's Treasures grant. |
In addition to the foundation and roof, accomplishments by SMHS in the last decade include initiating a haz-mat survey, conducting a thorough inventory of items and artifacts in the Boathouse, scraping and painting of the exterior, scrubbing and removing debris from the interior, mucking out the rails and boat cradle, brush cutting, and general care and maintenance.
All of the windows and doors have been restored or if needed, replaced, with volunteer effort.
In recent years, we have wired the main shop and installed lights, and in 2017 wired and lit the storeroom wing, with the help of a grant from Museums Alaska to make this our collections storage and display area.
All this progress was made possible thanks to our valued funders including a Save America’s Treasures Grant, several Historic Preservation Fund grants, the Rasmuson Foundation, the Skaggs Foundation, the National Scenic Byways, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, along with many individual donors and generous members of the business community.
Whahoo! Time to celebrate!
We like that ahhhhh feeling of working together to make our community a better place, and we like to eat seafood, so what better way to indulge both than to have a party!
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Currently ...
SMHS is fortunate to have a Historic Preservation Fund Grant as a pass-through grant through the City and Borough of Sitka as a Certified Local Government. This project is to build the foundation and bring utilities in to the building for an accessible addition and toilet.
The next step is to build the addition itself, for which we are currently raising funds.
SMHS is fortunate to have a Historic Preservation Fund Grant as a pass-through grant through the City and Borough of Sitka as a Certified Local Government. This project is to build the foundation and bring utilities in to the building for an accessible addition and toilet.
The next step is to build the addition itself, for which we are currently raising funds.
A plan view showing the new addition.
All photos courtesy of James Poulson
The Ultimate Plan for Rehabilitation
The Boathouse, as part of a National Historic Landmark, will be restored to historic preservation standards. The marine ways (boat haul-out) will be restored, and the public will be able to view active repair work on historic boats.
The entry wing has a working woodshop, used for small boat building as well as repair work on vessels that are hauled out.
The other wing will house hands-on historical exhibits on maritime heritage, such as commercial fishing, as well as being a multi-use gathering space.
A small addition will have an entry and bathroom.
The facility will have programs such as historical research, boat and canoe building, and navigation classes.
Interpretive signs and the building itself will tell the story of World War II in Sitka and the history and significance of the Naval Air Station and its U.S. Army Harbor Defenses.
The entry wing has a working woodshop, used for small boat building as well as repair work on vessels that are hauled out.
The other wing will house hands-on historical exhibits on maritime heritage, such as commercial fishing, as well as being a multi-use gathering space.
A small addition will have an entry and bathroom.
The facility will have programs such as historical research, boat and canoe building, and navigation classes.
Interpretive signs and the building itself will tell the story of World War II in Sitka and the history and significance of the Naval Air Station and its U.S. Army Harbor Defenses.
Looking down the Boathouse marine ways