You’re driving through a 2.5-mile, single-lane tunnel carved into a mountain. It’s dark. It’s tight. If you don't time it right, you're stuck on the other side until morning. When you finally pop out into the daylight—or more likely, the grey drizzle—of Whittier, Alaska, you see it.
A concrete ghost.
The Whittier Alaska Buckner Building looms over the town like a discarded fortress. It’s massive. It’s rotting. And honestly, it’s one of the most bizarre pieces of Cold War architecture left on American soil. People call it the "City Under One Roof," but today, it’s more like a graveyard for 1950s ambitions.
Why the Military Built a City in a Rainy Hole
During the early 1950s, the U.S. government was legitimately terrified. Cold War tensions were spiking. Alaska felt like a back door for a Soviet invasion. General Simon Buckner, the man who spearheaded the defense of Alaska, wanted a spot that was invisible and indestructible.
Whittier was perfect. It’s surrounded by jagged peaks and shrouded in cloud cover about 90% of the time. You can’t see it from the air. Plus, it has a deep-water port that never freezes.
The Army Corps of Engineers finished the Buckner Building in 1953. They didn't just build a barracks. They built a self-contained universe. We’re talking about 275,000 square feet of reinforced concrete.
What was actually inside?
It’s hard to wrap your head around how much they crammed into this place. It wasn't just beds for 1,200 soldiers.
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- A 320-seat movie theater.
- A four-lane bowling alley.
- A small jail (because soldiers get rowdy).
- A hospital, a bakery, and even a radio station.
- A rifle range in the basement.
The idea was simple: the weather in Whittier is legendary for being terrible. It rains or snows constantly. The military figured if they put everything—literally everything—under one roof, the soldiers would never have to step outside into the slush. They even built tunnels connecting the Buckner Building to the rest of the town.
The 1964 Earthquake: The Beginning of the End
On Good Friday in 1964, the biggest earthquake in U.S. history hit Alaska. It was a $9.2$ on the Richter scale. The town of Whittier was decimated by tsunamis and fire.
The Buckner Building? It barely flinched.
Because it was anchored directly into the bedrock, the structural damage was minimal. A few water lines snapped. Some cracks appeared. But the building held. Ironically, the earthquake proved the building was a tank, but it also signaled the end of its usefulness. The military realized maintaining a massive concrete city in a remote, earthquake-prone port was a logistical nightmare.
By 1966, the Army pulled out. They just... left. They handed the keys to the General Services Administration, and the building began its slow slide into ruin.
The Nightmare of Asbestos and Ice
If you visit Whittier today, you’ll notice a big fence. There’s a reason for that. Actually, there are about a million reasons, and most of them are microscopic.
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The Buckner Building is a toxic soup.
Decades of neglect have turned the interior into a scene from a horror movie. Since most of the windows were smashed out years ago, the Alaskan elements have moved in. Every floor is essentially a swamp. Rainwater pours through the ceilings, creating "indoor waterfalls." In the winter, this water freezes, expands, and slowly shatters the concrete from the inside out.
The "Asbestos Fairy"
Serious talk: do not go inside. I know it looks cool for Instagram, but the building is loaded with friable asbestos. It’s in the floor tiles, the pipe insulation, and the ceiling materials. Because the building is so damp, the mold is also off the charts.
In 2016, a structural assessment basically told the City of Whittier that the building is a total loss. To safely tear it down, they’d have to deal with the hazardous materials first. The estimated price tag? Somewhere between $20 million and $25 million. For a town with a population of about 270 people, that’s not just a hurdle; it’s an impossibility.
Can You Still Visit the Buckner Building?
You can definitely see it. You can't miss it. It sits on the edge of town, a grey monolith against the green mountains.
- The Exterior: You can walk up to the fence and get incredible photos. The contrast between the decaying concrete and the wild Alaskan scenery is stunning.
- The Legal Side: The building is owned by the City of Whittier. Trespassing is illegal and, frankly, stupid. Local police do patrol the area, and they aren't fond of pulling urban explorers out of flooded elevator shafts.
- Safety First: Aside from the toxins, the floors are rotting. There are holes you can't see beneath the standing water.
Most residents of Whittier now live in the Begich Towers, a different former military building that was actually maintained. It’s a strange vibe—an entire town living in one high-rise while their former "sister building" rots a few hundred yards away.
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The Reality of Demolition
People often ask why they don't just blow it up. Well, you can't exactly dynamite a building full of asbestos without sending a toxic cloud over the entire Prince William Sound.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has been involved for years. They've done "brownfield" assessments and cleanup plans. They’ve even removed some of the most dangerous soil around the site. But the building itself? It’s a stalemate. It is too expensive to fix and too dangerous to leave open.
So it sits.
Actionable Insights for Your Visit
If you’re planning a trip to see the Whittier Alaska Buckner Building, here is how to do it right.
- Check the Tunnel Schedule: The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is one-way. If you miss your window, you’ll be waiting an hour. Check the Alaska DOT website before you leave Anchorage.
- Bring a Real Camera: Phone sensors struggle with the flat, grey light of Whittier. If you want to capture the "eerie" vibe, bring a tripod and a decent lens.
- Respect the Fence: The town is small. People know when a stranger is poking around where they shouldn't be. Stick to the public roads and perimeter.
- Explore the Rest of Whittier: While you’re there, check out the Lu Young Park or take a glacier cruise. The Buckner Building is the hook, but the Prince William Sound is the real show.
The Buckner Building is a monument to a specific moment in American history when we thought we could out-build nature. Nature won. It’s a reminder that even the strongest concrete eventually loses to a little bit of rain and a lot of time.
If you want to see it, go soon. It isn't getting any sturdier. Every Alaskan winter takes another bite out of those 2-foot-thick walls. It’s a slow-motion demolition, courtesy of the wettest town in America.