Oscar Anderson House Museum
Website | 420 M St, Anchorage, AK 99501 | +1 907-206-2284
Do you want to know what it was like to live in Anchorage during 1915? Located in Elderberry Part at 5th Av and M Street, The Oscar Anderson House is the perfect way to find out. This 1915-constructed building is one of Anchorage’s oldest homes and the only House Museum in Anchorage. Oscar Anderson was the 18th person to arrive at the “Tent City” in early 1915 at Ship Creek by his own account, having interests in coal production, meat packing, newspaper publishing, and air transportation.
Elizabeth Anderson, Oscar’s widow, donated 1976 the house to Anchorage’s Municipality. After a long restoration between 1978 to 1982 made with Ruth Anderson’s (Oscar’s daughter) help, Anderson’s House was turned into a museum. The museum’s interior was explicitly restored to represent the early decor. In 1978, this museum was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for Oscar’s role in the city’s early development and its architectural significance.
The Oscar Anderson House Museum opened its doors to the public in the early 1980s and has provided locals and visitors a chance to experience Anchorage’s early life. Tours are available by reservation and regularly from Memorial Day weekend – Labor Day Weekend. Or, you can visit during Swedish Christmas, December’s first two weekends, when the museum is elaborately decorated and Swedish treats are available.
The museum’s building is a National Trust for Historic Preservation “Distinctive Destination.” Today, the Alaska Association for Historic Perservation, Inc. operates through a Municipality of Anchorage’s partnership with the Oscar Anderson House Museum.