The oldest-operating and best-preserved hotel in  Alaska, Alaskan Hotel & Bar was built in 1913. In 1978 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites. Since then, it has survived many architectural changes and events, which continue to fascinate visitors to this day. Whether you’re enjoying a drink at the bar or a cozy night’s sleep in one of the rooms, you can appreciate its history through its restored Victorian style and vintage decorations.

Around the time the Alaskan Hotel & Bar was built, Juneau was a frontier mining camp, and while it had numerous boarding and rooming houses for miners, it did not have any hotels. This changed when James and John McCloskey and Jules B. Caro pooled their gold mining earnings and invested in the middle of the soon to be business district. Construction of the “Alaskan Hotel” was soon underway, and at its completion, was celebrated with a gala champagne event.

Surviving the Prohibition era as a soda bar and “speakeasy,” the old hotel went through other significant changes, not all of which were savory. There were questionable activities taking place there (which you can read about in “The Life and Times of the Alaskan Hotel” by Joshua Adams, the current owners’ son). The Adams and the partner purchased the building in August of 1977. The partner was bought out within a year. The Adams’ continued restoration in the Victorian “Queen Anne”-style of architecture and transformed it into the dazzling destination it is today.

In 2013 Hotel Impossible filmed an episode at the Alaskan Hotel & Bar, remodeling 8 rooms. One the first night before the filming started, a black bear walked into the bar and was stopped by a small female bartender then shooed back out into the street. This episode was the premiere episode for the 2014 season 

Now, the Alaskan Hotel & Bar continues serving tourists and locals as one of the best live music venues in Juneau, Alaska. Pet-friendly and affordable, it’s the perfect place to feel at home while immersing yourself in a rich history. To reserve a hotel room or for questions, give the family-owned facility a call at (907) 586-1000. For details, such as available rooms and rates, please refer to their website.