Mayflower School (Juneau, Alaska)

The Mayflower School, now known as Juneau Montessori School, is a historic school building at St. Ann's and Savikko Streets in the Douglas part of Juneau, Alaska. It is significant as the only surviving historic Native school building in the Juneau-Douglas area. It is also the only Colonial Revival style BIA school in Alaska. Its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 asserts the school was "a source of great pride to the Douglas Native community" and that it "represents a significant tie with the past for many Douglas Native people."[2]: 3 

Mayflower School
Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
Mayflower School (Juneau, Alaska) is located in Alaska
Mayflower School (Juneau, Alaska)
Location750 St. Anns Avenue, Douglas, Alaska
Coordinates58°16′31″N 134°23′32″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1934 (1934)
Built byUS Bureau of Indian Affairs
ArchitectN. Lester Troast
Architectural styleColonial Revival
NRHP reference No.88002534[1]
AHRS No.JUN-300
Added to NRHPNovember 21, 1988

It is a rectangular 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gable roof, and sited in Savikko Park overlooking the Gastineau Channel. It is set on a hillside, and only presents 1+1⁄2 stories to the front. Its main entrance is on the second level, set in a recessed entryway which is flanked by fluted pilasters and topped by a swan pediment.

The school was built in 1934 by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to serve as a model school for Native children in Alaska. In addition to educational facilities, the school also contained community meeting facilities, including a library, kitchen, and recreation room. The Bureau intended for the school to provide vocational training and to serve as a community center for the Tlingits of Douglas.

The building served as an educational facility exclusively for Native children until 1940, when it was merged into the Juneau school system.[2] Since 1994, the building has been used as a Montessori school.[3]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Gabrielle LaRoche and Glenda Choate (January 19, 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mayflower School / Douglas Island Community Center". National Park Service. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  3. "A History of Montessori in Juneau". Juneau Montessori School. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
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