Perched on the bend of a hillside road in Juneau, the governor's mansion is perhaps Alaska's most regal piece of real estate.
Built in 1912 with a federal stipend of $40,000, it was a nod of recognition and legitimacy from Washington, D.C., to the far-flung territory. With Greek-style columns and a 31.5-foot Tlingit totem pole at the entrance, the mansion's edifice juxtaposes the state's Native heritage with the U.S.' political legacy. And while it may sit atop a small half-acre lot, the property has an expansive view: The Chilkat Mountains, Gastineau Channel and downtown Juneau are all visible from 716 Calhoun St.
Christened the "White House of the North" by visiting President Warren Harding in 1923, the 14,000-square-foot governor's mansion comprises 26 rooms, 10 bathrooms and eight fireplaces. The official residence is part mansion, part museum, filled with art and Alaskana on loan from the Alaska State Museum.
But for the families who have resided in the governor's mansion, the historic building has another name: home.
When the most recent residents, Gov. Bill Walker and first lady Donna Walker, arrived in Juneau in December, they put a few low-impact personal touches on the house.
"We personalized it with family photos and throw blankets," Donna Walker said. "We brought up the rocking chair because our new grandson was visiting."
They made no other major changes.
"It's just so beautifully and painstakingly put together," Donna Walker said. She has an office in the mansion, complete with a fireplace and a share of the beautiful view—and a share of the house's history.
"It's a privilege to pull Bella Hammond's parlor chair up," she said. "It's been an easy transition."
A couple of the governor's favorite features are the original seal of the District of Alaska, embedded above the living room fireplace, as well as a copy of the check signed by Secretary of State William Seward for the purchase of Alaska.
Other tenants have been less studious.
Michael Stepovich, son of Gov. Mike Stepovich, Alaska's last territorial governor, recalled that it was plenty raucous with eight children inside the mansion during his father's term. He admitted to banister sliding, chasing his siblings around the piano, and his brother Ted being locked inside an upstairs bathroom. (Ted was eventually extracted by the fire department, which got in through a window.)
In addition to space, in 1957 the mansion came with another luxury: the family's first television.
"It was just Liberace and wrestling back then," Stepovich said.
Antonia Stepovich Gore, the couple's eldest child, had especially fond memories of the home and its staff, Marguerite and Charlie Doucette, a Belgian couple.
"Mother went into the kitchen to make bread one day and I don't know what happened, whether the yeast failed or what, but she never went into the kitchen again," Gore said. "She just left it to Marguerite."
From Marguerite's pastel cookies with pastry cream, to the bedroom she shared with her sister Maria, to the garden with its dragon lilies and the perfect front lawn, "It seemed to me the most elegant place to live," Gore said.
Living in the governor's mansion means welcoming in dignitaries and local neighbors alike, and Walker said she's enjoying her role as executive hostess.
"We've not turned down an invitation. You can always have somebody in for tea or a tour," she said.
As a state-owned estate, the residence has seen a broad spectrum of houseguests, from leaders of the free world to the judges of "Top Chef." The ballroom alone has hosted presidents' receptions, daughters' weddings and girls' slumber parties. The lawn has set the scene for the mansion's centennial celebration and Piper Palin's lemonade stand.
Perhaps its longest-standing tradition is the governor's annual Christmas open house. When the Walkers hosted the event for the first time in December, 4,000 guests were served 25,000 cookies and 250 pounds of candy and fudge.
It was a hosting marathon.
"I took one short break, but I think Bill and (Lt. Gov.) Byron (Mallott) shook hands for four hours," Walker said.
To assist the first lady (or "first dude," as Todd Palin preferred to be called), a house staff of four works together to handle event planning, as well as household management and maintenance.
"The job is so not typical," said Lisa Boman, executive residence manager and assistant to the first lady. Sometimes it means arranging for cookies by the ton; other days, it involves coordinating emergency response to a flooded conservatory. There has been no dedicated chef since then-Gov. Sarah Palin eliminated the position in 2007, and cooking duties are shared among the staff members who work in the mansion.
"We all cook. It's family style," Boman said. The Walkers, she added, are "great leftover eaters." Boman, who has worked at the residence since 2011, has assisted both the Parnells and the Walkers. The house staff positions are not considered political, and for continuity, they traditionally stay on when administrations change.
Rather than a "Downton Abbey"-style upstairs/downstairs arrangement, Boman describes a working relationship with the governor and first lady that is more of a team effort.
"I like that we're not on the political side of it and are just a part of their family," she said. "This is their resting place. It's an easygoing, loving atmosphere."
This story appeared in the March 2015 issue of 61º North Magazine. Contact 61º editor Jamie Gonzales at jgonzales@alaskadispatch.com.