A Little Asbestos Never Hurt Anybody... Did It?
The Buckner Building in Whittier, Alaska.
October 2010
UrbEx etiquette suggests being vague about the locations of sites. The Buckner Building in Whittier, Alaska, however, is widely known and information is readily available on the internet.
Besides, the vandals have totally destroyed the place. The building is HUGE, but I doubt there is a single glass pane intact in the entire structure, nor is there a wall unblemished by spray can graffiti, most of it profane.
Even the local residents I talked to think the building "isn't going anywhere," but I would strongly encourage any UrbEx fans headed up north to check this place out before it is either demolished or fenced off.
At least, unlike many old buildings, it's unlikely to burn down. The entire structure appears to be constructed from concrete, and every floor on every level is at least a half-inch deep in water.
I can't help but wonder how beautifully this building, abandoned and empty since the mid-1960s, would be if the windows had not been broken out. As it sits now, the icy wind whistles through every room and hallway, banging doors and bringing dampness and decay.
A guy I talked to in Whittier, a long-time explorer of this building, tells me the basement is incredible, with a tunnel leading to the waterfront. He says that while the ceiling panels are collapsing, the structure itself, built to be "bomb proof," seems completely sound. I climbed a couple of the outside fire escape stairways and noticed absolutely no creaking or rattling. I've been in new buildings which seemed flimsier than this one. Hard to imagine this massive fortress of a building could have been "condemned as unsafe" following the 1964 earthquake.
The local explorer I talked to seemed confident this building wasn't going anywhere soon. He said that estimates for "demolition and asbestos containment" run upwards of $30-million; estimates for "restoring" the structure also exceed $30-million. "Nobody wants to sink that kind of money into it either way," he said.
But we all know how quickly these things, which have "been there forever," can suddenly vanish.
I had less than an hour total to look this place over. I barely got a glimpse. I didn't have a flashlight, either, which was a limiting factor.
If I had the time and could afford it, I would almost be willing to make another trip to Alaska just to spend a few days in Whittier for the purpose of exploring the Buckner Building.