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Jesse Lee Home For Children

Jesse Lee Home for Children

The Jesse Lee Home for Children, a structure that once stood sentinel on Swetmann Avenue in Seward, Alaska, was more than just a building; it was a repository of history, a testament to changing societal needs, and ultimately, a casualty of time and circumstance. Operated by the United Methodist Church, this former haven for displaced children was a significant landmark, recognized for its historical importance by its inclusion on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and listed in the Alaska Heritage Resources Survey. Its story is interwoven with the broader narrative of Alaska in the 20th century, reflecting periods of growth, disaster, and shifting priorities.

Location and Physical Characteristics

Situated on Benson Drive in Seward, Alaska, the Jesse Lee Home occupied a sprawling 2.65 acres (1.07 ha). The complex, built in 1926, was the product of the vision of John Holm and the architectural design of A.S. Hanson. The original construction featured two primary dormitories, named Jewel Guard Hall and Goode Hall, which were interconnected by arcades. Later additions included the Balto Building, strategically placed between the dormitories to serve as a communal dining space and kitchen facility. Beyond these core structures, the site comprised several smaller buildings, including a superintendent's residence, a barn, a schoolhouse, additional residential quarters, a garage, and a cold storage unit. Jewel Guard Hall, in particular, was a multi-functional space, housing not only dormitories for boys but also a workshop, vocational classrooms, a darkroom, general classrooms, a library, and a gymnasium. Goode Hall, conversely, served as the girls' dormitory and housed the administrative offices.

History

The roots of the Jesse Lee Home for Children stretch back to earlier Methodist endeavors in Alaska. Prior to the Seward facility, the church maintained children's homes in Nome and Unalaska. The Unalaska institution, established in 1889, also functioned as a boarding school and bore the name "Jesse Lee Home," honoring a prominent Methodist minister from the northeastern United States during the colonial era. The original Jesse Lee Home in Unalaska, pictured around 1901, predates the Seward establishment.

The impetus for relocating and expanding the children's home to Seward in the 1920s was a confluence of factors, most notably the devastating impact of the 1918 flu pandemic. This global health crisis disproportionately affected remote Native villages across Alaska, leaving an increasing number of children orphaned and displaced. The existing missions in Nome and Unalaska were struggling, often overfilled and in a state of disrepair. Furthermore, the logistical challenges and exorbitant costs associated with transporting supplies and children to these isolated locations became increasingly untenable. Seward emerged as the logical choice for a new, centralized facility. At that time, it boasted the status of Alaska's largest port and primary transportation hub, offering more reliable and cost-effective routes for supplies and personnel, particularly with scheduled services directly from Seattle.

The residents of the Jesse Lee Home were predominantly Native children, hailing mainly from the Aleutian Islands (of Aleut heritage) and the Seward Peninsula (including Iñupiat children). The year the Seward school opened, 1926, marked a significant moment in Alaskan history thanks to one of its young residents, Benny Benson. Benson, who had been transferred from the Unalaska home, was just 13 years old when he entered and won a territorial competition to design Alaska's flag. His distinctive design, featuring the Big Dipper and the North Star, remains the state flag to this day. It's a poignant detail that Fanny Kearns, a young Aleut woman employed as a seamstress at the Jesse Lee Home, sewed the very first Alaskan flag using leftover cloth. The Balto Building was officially dedicated on July 9, 1927, the day the new flag was first raised at the Jesse Lee Home, a date still celebrated annually in Alaska as Alaska Flag Day. Another young resident, Ephriam Kalmakoff from Chignik, achieved local renown in 1928 by winning Seward's grueling Mount Marathon Race, a challenging mountain foot race. He was only 14 at the time, making him the youngest champion of the race until 1957. Peter Gordon Gould, an Aleut student from Unga Island who overlapped with Benny Benson, later played a crucial role in higher education in Alaska. He went on to found Alaska Methodist University in Anchorage, now known as Alaska Pacific University, serving as its inaugural president in 1960.

Life at the home saw significant disruption during World War II. The children were temporarily relocated to other facilities, and the main buildings of the Jesse Lee Home were painted in camouflage patterns, as a portion of the property was occupied by a temporary U.S. Army Base, Fort Raymond.

Following the war, the home reopened, but the educational landscape had shifted. Instead of attending classes on-site, students were enrolled in the nearby Bayview Elementary and Seward High School. The self-sufficiency model of the past, which involved extensive gardens and livestock on the property's over 100 acres, was replaced by government-provided food rations. Consequently, the number of residents dwindled, decreasing from a peak of 120 to a much smaller cohort of 30 to 40 children.

The devastating 1964 Alaska earthquake inflicted severe damage upon Seward and the Jesse Lee Home complex. Goode Hall, the largest of the buildings, sustained extensive damage and was ultimately demolished. The United Methodist Church subsequently established a new orphanage in Anchorage, and the Seward home ceased operations. The property changed hands multiple times after its sale to the city in 1966, eventually being foreclosed upon by the City of Seward due to unpaid utility assessments. Despite its subsequent decline, the Jesse Lee Home was recognized for its historical significance and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Restoration Effort

In the years following its closure, a dedicated group known as the Friends of the Jesse Lee Home (FJLH), a nonprofit organization, emerged with a singular mission: to restore the historic site. Their ambitious vision was to transform the revitalized Jesse Lee Home into a public statewide leadership charter high school.

In 2002, the Alaska State Legislature took a legislative step by passing House Bill No. 96, an act specifically addressing the acquisition and development of the Jesse Lee Home. This was followed in 2003 by a study conducted by the Department of Natural Resources, which concluded that the building, despite its age, remained structurally sound. A significant boost to the restoration efforts came in 2008 when the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development awarded a substantial 1,000,000granttotheAlaskaCommunityFoundationforthecriticalrepairandstabilizationoftheJesseLeeHome.TheFriendsoftheJesseLeeHomeweredesignatedastheentityresponsiblefortheongoingmanagementandmaintenanceofthisambitiousproject.Furtherdemonstratingcommitment,theStateofAlaskaallocatedatotalof1,000,000 grant to the Alaska Community Foundation for the critical repair and stabilization of the Jesse Lee Home. The Friends of the Jesse Lee Home were designated as the entity responsible for the ongoing management and maintenance of this ambitious project. Further demonstrating commitment, the State of Alaska allocated a total of 8,000,000 towards the development of plans for the Balto School's utilization of the building, the prosecution of architectural and engineering services, and the renovation of the remaining standing portions of the Jesse Lee Home.

However, by 2015, the restoration initiative encountered significant hurdles. After an expenditure of $700,000, the grants supporting the project were terminated due to issues related to accountability and reporting, casting a shadow over the future of the restoration.

Demolition

The final chapter of the Jesse Lee Home's physical existence was marked by a series of ownership transfers and unmet conditions. In 2014, the City of Seward transferred ownership of the property to the Friends of the Jesse Lee Home (FJLH). This transfer came with specific stipulations: FJLH had a five-year window to remove hazardous materials from the site, install 270 feet of water line, and lay 220 feet of sewer line. However, as of August 30, 2019, FJLH acknowledged that "not a significant amount" of progress had been made on these essential infrastructure requirements, and consequently, the conditions for retaining ownership were not met. This failure to comply with the terms of the agreement ultimately led to a pivotal decision. In July 2020, the Seward City Council voted to proceed with the demolition of the structure. The physical dismantling of the Jesse Lee Home began on November 4, 2020, marking the end of an era for this historic Alaskan landmark.

See also

References

  • ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  • ^ "Jesse Lee Home for Children," alaska.org.
  • ^ a b Jesse Lee Home - Historic Structure Report , ECI/Hyer, Inc. Architecture Interiors Development, May 2003
  • ^ a b c "The Jesse Lee Home for Children". Seward Historic Preservation Commission. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  • ^ "Benny Benson". Friends of the Jesse Lee Home. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  • ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". National Park Service. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  • ^ "The Friends of the Jesse Lee Home". Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  • ^ a b "The Friends of the Jesse Lee Home". Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  • ^ "DOC BodyPage". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  • ^ Wayback Machine (PDF). omb.alaska.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 27, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  • ^ Grove, Casey; Anchorage, Alaska Public Media- (May 16, 2018). "Alaska spent millions. So why is this historic building still a wreck?". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  • ^ "Extension sought for Jesse Lee Home". Seward Journal. August 28, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  • ^ Paschall, Michael (August 30, 2019). "Clock runs out on Jesse Lee Home agreement". Seward Journal. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  • ^ Mathews, Cheyenne (July 14, 2020). "Seward City Council approves resolution to demolish Jesse Lee Home". alaskasnewssource.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  • ^ Mathews, Cheyenne (November 5, 2020). "Demolition of Jesse Lee Home begins". alaskasnewssource.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.

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