The long-defunct 4th Avenue Theatre returned to the news this spring when the owners announced plans to essentially level most of the block to put up shops and a 22-story apartment building. The Anchorage Assembly seems gung-ho to get the project going, perhaps in part because it is linked to a plan to tear down the completely derelict Northern Lights Inn in Midtown. Urban preservationists are alarmed at the prospect of losing one of the state's most iconic buildings.
Setting aside the aesthetics of the building's architecture -- already much disrupted by the addition of a penthouse on the top and leveling of the sloped seating area by the previous owner -- the main concern for art lovers is what will become of the murals. Showing Alaska scenery, wildlife and industry, they were executed in metallic paints, framed in gold leaf and, though described as "corny" by a former colleague, are the grandest art deco artwork in the state.
Ira Perman, executive director of the Atwood Foundation and himself a candidate for the Assembly, got a tour of the building last month and took some photos with his iPhone. In his opinion, only the outside marquee is seriously "deteriorated," to use the word that determines whether the project gets a tax exemption. The interior ceiling shows signs of limited water damage, said Perman. "I can tell the difference between a major roof problem and a little one," he said. The art, happily, appears to be in excellent condition.
The towering panels that frame the screen are not as permanently affixed to the wall as some have said. Perman noted that they were built Outside, shipped up in crates and installed. So they can be uninstalled and relocated by competent workmen.
Anchorage probably missed major opportunities to do that 10 or 12 years ago when the Dena'ina Center construction and museum expansion began. Either could have provided a suitable display for the art, but the convention center in particular feels bleak and empty, despite Ralph Helmick's swarm of urethane animal figures, "Prospect" (formerly "Constellation"). It's also tall and voluminous -- a nice fit for the murals.
We might as well get this over with now. There's a new trend to refer to the theater's panels as "friezes." No. Both Webster's and the American Heritage Dictionary state that friezes are horizontal; the art in question is very, very vertical. Definitions of "mural" are less strict. Webster's applies it to "a large photograph, etc. attached directly to a wall." The American Heritage says it's a large image applied to a wall. Neither specifies whether "attached" or "applied" means painted into the wall material -- like a fresco -- or glued, screwed or nailed into place. (The old Oxford doesn't allow "mural" as a noun at all, but only as an adjective meaning "wall-like.") Perhaps the best authority in this instance is Anthony Heinsbergen, the Los Angeles interior decorator whose firm created the art. (The main artist, Frank Bouman, traveled north with the finished product to oversee its installation.) Heinsbergen and company created art embellishments for more than 750 theaters, plus state capitols, churches and commercial buildings. In a letter cited in "Patterns of the Past: An Inventory of Anchorage's Historic Resources" by Michael Carberry and Donna Lane, Heinsbergen plainly calls them "murals."
The renewed fuss over the theater has just begun, I'd guess, and the battle between economics and nostalgia will continue into the next city election cycle. The incoming administration will surely want to take a close look. But if the old theater is to come down or be gutted, significant efforts should be made to keep the murals from destruction. There is nothing else like them in the state and, once they're gone, there never will be again.
Ghosts in the LIO?
Speaking of old buildings and politics, Rick Goodfellow, who started the Ghost Tours of Anchorage, took note of the "rough time" the Legislature has had in the extended budget session that took place at the newly renovated Legislative Information Office. On the tours last summer, Goodfellow said, "I lamented that the expansion demolished the historic building, which had originally been the Empress Theatre when Anchorage was brand-new."
The theater was haunted, Goodfellow said, as were the bank and bar later on the site. "I told people that the building might be demolished but the ghosts would try to stay, although they'd be confused and angry."
On Thursday, Goodfellow circulated a flier to building employees asking them to report any inexplicable peculiarities to him. "Ghosts manifest themselves in many ways besides as apparitions," Goodfellow said. "Cold spots, strange noises, electrical disturbances, altered senses of reality and even demonic possession may indicate an angry ghost."
Centennial symposiums coming up
A more empirical look at Anchorage's past will take place next week. "Imagining Anchorage" will start at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 18, with a reception for the mayor of Whitby, England -- Captain James Cook's hometown -- and a lecture by Sophie Forgan, chair of the trustees of the Captain Cook Museum in Whitby. Friday will be devoted to Cook, who made the first voyage by a European to the Anchorage area, with experts from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Smithsonian presenting lectures. On Saturday the focus will turn to Anchorage proper, specifically the city's first 100 years. A full schedule will run here next week, but in the meantime history enthusiasts are advised to make reservations at cookinlethistory.org. The cost for the event is $85 for members of the Cook Inlet Historical Society, $95 for non-members.
Music fest
The Anchorage Chamber Music Festival has announced a schedule of programs to be presented Aug. 8-15. Joining the core group of returning musicians are guest artists Paul Sharpe (bass), Yehonatan Berick (violin), Alice Pierce (soprano) and John Charles Pierce (heldentenor). The team gives workshops and lessons as well as public performances. To sign up for the classes or get tickets -- which are discounted before June 30 -- go to anchoragechambermusicfestival.org.
Second Friday opening
Middle Way Cafe will hold an opening reception for a group show starting at 6 p.m. Friday, June 12. The show features a diverse array of work by Linda Weatherwax, Lisa Sparrow, Jan Ingram, Nancy Tileston, Akiko Sugimoto, Katie Alley, Linda Warford and Jerelyn Miyashiro. Guitarist Arkadi Futerman will supply music while Middle Way supplies the snacks. The show will remain on display through Aug. 8.
Poems picked for parks
Four works by Alaska poets have been selected for the final installment of Poems in Place. "Tideline" by Leslie Leyland Field and "The Compass Rose" by Fred Stager will be placed at Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park on Kodiak Island. "A Soldier's Station" by Aleria Jensen and "Pilgrims" by Justine Pechuzal will be placed at Caines Head State Recreational Area in Seward. Local creative writing workshops will accompany dedications to be held in Kodiak and Seward this fall. Dates and details will be made available at alaskacenterforthebook.org.
The installation of the four poems will bring an end to the three-year project aimed at putting a poem or two on site in each of the Alaska State Parks' seven regions, said Wendy Erb in a press release. Erb started the effort in 2011 as a way to honor her friend, the late Kim Cornwall, whose "What Whales and Infants Know" was the first Poem in Place, installed at Beluga Point.
Signings in Palmer
Palmer is celebrating Colony Days this weekend and Fireside Books is piling on author events for the occasion. Roger Woods, author of a 70-year history of Alaska, "Treasure, Alaska," will be at the store on the afternoon of Friday, June 12. Saturday will see a three-fer with children's book illustrator Mindy Dwyer; Marianne Schlegelmilch, creator of the "Feather" series; and Ron Dalby, author of a new novel, "Pipeline."