The Mayflower School, now known as Juneau Montessori School, is a historic school building at St. Ann's and Savikko Streets in the

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

part of

Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

. It is significant as the only surviving historic Native school building in the Juneau-Douglas area. It is also the only

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

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." It is a rectangular -story wood-frame structure, with a gable roof, and sited in Savikko Park overlooking the

Gastineau Channel Gastineau Channel (Lingít: ''Séet Ká'') is a channel between the mainland of the U.S. state of Alaska and Douglas Island in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska. It separates Juneau on the mainland side from Douglas (now part of J ...

. It is set on a hillside, and only presents 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 The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...

(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 The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

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

Montessori school The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1988.

References

School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Alaska Colonial Revival architecture in Alaska School buildings completed in 1934 Buildings and structures in Juneau, Alaska Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Juneau, Alaska 1934 establishments in Alaska {{JuneauAK-stub

See also

References