JUNEAU, Alaska — The Alaska State Museum officially opened its new location in Juneau June 6.
The new facility combines the museum, state archives and state library into one 118,000-square-foot structure. It was built on the same location as the former state museum, which was torn down in 2014 for construction of the new building.
This new state-of-the-art facility houses artifacts and history from throughout the state, with the capability and space for more than 50 years’ worth of future collections.
The entrance atrium features an eagle tree and a large detailed map of Alaska in the floor.
Features of the permanent gallery include a Tlingit clan house made of hand-adzed cedar; a walrus-skin Inupiaq umiak, a 34-foot boat whose frame was built in 1920; a segment of the Alaska pipeline; and a single-sail wooden fishing boat known as a Bristol Bay double ender.
The new facility also has three galleries for temporary exhibits, a cafe and a store. The second-floor reading room of the library and archives features a tall wood ceiling and large windows overlooking the town and the mountains.
