The William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center (commonly known as simply the Egan Center) is a convention center located in
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
Anchorage
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
,
Alaska at 555 West Fifth Avenue. Constructed in 1984 as part of a massive Anchorage-wide
public works project dubbed "Project 80s", it replaced the original
Z. J. Loussac Library, which opened on the same site in 1955 and was demolished in 1981. The library moved to a new building in midtown Anchorage, also as part of Project 80s. The building is named for
Alaska's first
governor,
William Allen Egan
William Allen Egan (October 8, 1914 – May 6, 1984) was an American Democratic politician. He served as the first governor of the State of Alaska from January 3, 1959 to 1966 and 1970 to 1974, as well as a shadow U.S. Senator from Alaska Terri ...
. It features a unique glass front that runs the entire length of the facility providing the reception area and the giant
Ficus retusa
''Ficus retusa'' is a species of evergreen woody plant in the fig genus, native to the Malay Archipelago and Malesia floristic region. The species name has been widely mis-applied to ''Ficus microcarpa''.
Description
''Ficus retusa'' is a rapidl ...
trees inside with plenty of natural light. A
skywalk
A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclos ...
across Fifth Avenue connects the building to the
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is a performance venue in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. Opened in 1988, it hosts over 200,000 patrons annually, and consists of three theaters:
* Evangeline Atwood Concert Hall, with 2,000 seats, is designed ...
.
The building was designed by
CCC Architects and Planners
Edwin Butler Crittenden (1915-2015) was an American architect practicing in Anchorage, Alaska. Referred to later in life as the "dean of Alaska architecture," Crittenden was the most notable Alaskan architect of the twentieth century.
Life and ...
of Anchorage.
[Alison K. Hoagland, ''Buildings of Alaska'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993)]
External links
Egan Center HomepageAnchorage Convention & Visitors BureauAnchorage Civic & Convention District
References
1984 establishments in Alaska
Buildings and structures completed in 1984
Buildings and structures in Anchorage, Alaska
Economy of Anchorage, Alaska
Music venues in Alaska
Tourist attractions in Anchorage, Alaska
{{AnchorageAK-geo-stub