Even from the barren wasteland of the Far North in Alaska, the rule of law is being upheld. Albeit in some rather unattractive courthouses. At least in comparison to the ones previously shared in this series. In this article, I would like to tell you about the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Boney Courthouse, 303 K Street, was built in 1973. It is named for the second chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, George F. Boney, who served from 1970 to 1972. Like most office buildings in downtown Anchorage, it is a square concrete box. It was not Anchorage’s original courthouse, but for a long time, it was “the” courthouse. In 1996, a second courthouse was built next door to the Boney Courthouse. Today, down- town Anchorage has a thriving “campus” consisting of two large courthouses and a sprawling building (former newspaper office with printing press) containing the Alaska Court System’s administrative offices.
[SIDE NOTE: While Anchorage is not Alaska’s capitol, it is the largest, most populous city. The Alaska Court System is a unified court system with centralized administration, serving Alaska residents in 40 courthouses throughout the vast State. The Alaska Supreme Court conducts most of its business in Anchorage and hears arguments in the State’s three largest cities: Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. Three justices reside in Anchorage, one in Fairbanks, and (as of March 2023) one in Juneau.]
The Boney Courthouse is the current home of the Alaska Supreme Court, the Alaska Court of Appeals, and the Appellate Clerks Office, as well as district courts, parenting plan facilitators, some therapeutic court offices, the customer service counter for protective orders, and two courtrooms for issuing said protective orders and for other after-hours business. The justices’ chambers are on the fifth floor, along with the courtroom, which seats 200. The court of appeals judges’ chambers and the appellate clerk’s office are located on the fourth floor. The courthouse was fully remodeled in 2012, including the addition of a semicircular bumped out entry way to break up the box. The roof remains flat.
The courtroom is grand in a late-seventies sort of way. It’s large. It’s wood paneled. The overall
impression is of a large room with a huge ceiling, a lot of exposed pine and light oak, and green.
Dark emerald green carpet and pads on the pews. The eye is drawn to the front of the room where a
giant wooden seal of the State of Alaska hangs behind the bench. It has been hand-carved and assembled in multiple horizontal pieces. It probably weighs a ton. In the “great-enough-for-me”
earthquake in 2018 — magnitude 7.1 — the seal split at its seams, but did not fall.
In addition to the seal, the Boney Courthouse maintains a treasure trove of museum-quality Alaska Native art, both old and new.
Finally, it wouldn’t be in Alaska without mentioning wildlife. It is not unusual to see moose in our courtyard. It is unusual to see a black bear in downtown Anchorage, but one day a few years ago, a small cub appeared to be trying to go throuth security. Bald eagles and ravens fly by my window. If you are ever in Anchorage, please contact me. It would be my absolute pleasure to show you my work home, the Boney Courthouse.