Former Covenant House Location Gets Redo

The corner of 6th and F Street.

It's only now that I happen to be in the area of 6th and F, so I just thought I'd snap this photo of the redevelopment of the former Covenant House location. The project is being undertaken by Pfeffer Development, the same company that is currently building a low-rise in midtown and recently completed a First National Bank branch in the U-Med District. Occupying the former youth homeless shelter will be a Steam Dot Coffee, a new restaurant and bar called The Williwaw, and a revived Blues Central on the second floor. The one major thing Pfeffer's company did to the building was add an elevator shaft to the east of the building. With the elevator, patrons will be able to dine on the roof. For those who are curious, the Covenant House moved out of the building a few years ago and moved to a new larger building in east downtown. The building was originally home to the YMCA as early as the 1950s. The Williwaw will be owned by the same group that owns Humpy's and Flattop. Not surprising considering its location. This section of downtown is really starting to become something of its own. In related news, it may be safe to say Mark Pfeffer is counting on the building to receive many customers as plans are in the works to build a 16-story mixed-use tower on the 7th Avenue end of F Street. That project too is being developed by Pfeffer Development. 

New Covenant House - East Downtown

As seen from the corner of 8th and A.

I drive down A Street into Downtown Anchorage on a regular basis and thus immediately noticed the demolition of an old Salvation Army chapel and the erection of a sign showing a rendering of what was to be built in its place. Going at 35 mph, it's kinda hard to read what exactly was being built, but the quick glance I was able to get of the building made me think maybe it was new office space. A few days later I walked up to the sign to get an actual reading of what was going up only to learn of the grim news. Yes, Covenant House, the shelter for homeless runaway youth, is at full capacity and needs a new, larger home. Like the Neighborhood Clinic being built in Midtown (see earlier post), the new Covenant House apparently also needs more financial donations ($2M more) in order for the project to meet its completion. Among the top contributors so far for the project is First National Bank Alaska, the Gillam Foundation, and the Rasmuson Foundation. In seeking continued financial support, Covenant House has also launched a campaign called Our House is Full along with the website www.ourhouseisfull.org. Construction is taking place on the block bordered by A Street, Barrow Street, 7th, and 8th Avenue. If there's any bright spot to this new development, it's that the Covenant House will be located away from the more healthier west-end of Downtown. It seems over the years Town Square Park has become a haven for troubled youth, and it's safe to say that the location of the Covenant House right across the street from the park was a major factor in contributing to the erosion of the parks attractiveness. We'll be following up on this project as it continues its progress.

Demolition of the old building.