Seward's Success, Alaska
Seward's Success, Alaska | |
|---|---|
Unbuilt Community | |
  Seward's Success, Alaska Proposed location of Seward's Success in Alaska | |
| Coordinates: 61°15′1.23″N 149°59′29.21″W / 61.2503417°N 149.9914472°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Matanuska-Susitna |
| Named for | William Seward |
Seward's Success was a planned community proposed for Point MacKenzie, north of Anchorage, Alaska, United States. The megaproject was to be fully enclosed by a dome spanning the Knik Arm and holding a community of 40,000 residents,[1] with ample residential, office, recreational and commercial space. It was proposed in 1968 after the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay and scuttled in 1972 by a delay to the development of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
Its name alludes to "Seward's Folly", an epithet flung at Secretary of State William H. Seward for the 1867 Alaskan Purchase.
History
[edit]The plan for constructing Seward's Success developed after the January 1968 discovery of oil reserves at Prudhoe Bay.[2] The $800 million ($7 billion today), four-phase community was to have been developed by Tandy Industries of Tulsa, Oklahoma and designed by Adrian Wilson Associates of Los Angeles.[2][3] The $170 million ($1.5 billion today) initial phase was envisioned to provide for a population of 5,000 and contain 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) of office space, 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) of retail space and an indoor sports arena.[1] The central feature of the office construction was the proposed 20-story Alaskan Petroleum Center, which was to serve a variety of oil and oil service companies.[1][4] The development was touted as the world's first totally enclosed, climate-controlled community.[1]
Transportation between Seward's Success and downtown Anchorage would be accomplished initially by way of a high-speed aerial tramway.[1] Subsequently, a monorail would be built as an additional connection between the town and Anchorage International Airport.[1][2][5] Automobiles would not have been allowed inside the community,[1][5] and all transportation within Seward's Success was to have been provided by way of the aerial tramway, monorail, bicycle paths and moving sidewalks.[5]
The temperature would have been controlled at 68 °F (20 °C) year round.[4] The shell would have been composed of glass designed to work like a greenhouse in maintaining the temperature.[5] Energy to power the community would be generated through natural gas available on-site.[1]
Physical construction of the community would commence in 1970 with the completion of a dock and several roads.[2] However, with construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System delayed due to lawsuits, a group subcontracted by Tandy failed to make the annual lease payment for the 3,209 acres (12.99 km2; 5.01 sq mi) where Seward's Success was to have been located.[2] By 1972, the project was officially cancelled.[2]
See also
[edit]- Knik Arm Bridge - Controversial proposed bridge to cross the Knik Arm between Anchorage and the proposed location of Seward's Success.
- Arcology
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Davis, Jim (March 1970), "An entire city under glass", Popular Science, pp. 74–75, retrieved January 27, 2010
- ^ a b c d e f Porco, Peter (November 3, 2002). "City of tomorrow a failed dream of yesterday - Thinking big: Domed suburb across Knik Arm was planned in detail". Anchorage Daily News. p. B3.
- ^ Staff Reporters (September 14, 1969). "L.A. Concern to Plan New City in Alaska". Los Angeles Times. p. 1J.
- ^ a b Cole, Dermot (2008). North to the Future: The Alaska Story 1959-2009. Alaska Book Adventures. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-9800825-3-1.
- ^ a b c d Lee, Kaiman (1977). Encyclopedia of Energy-Efficient Building Design: 391 Practical Case Studies. Environmental Design & Research Center. p. 768. ISBN 0915250187.
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