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Construction in Sand Point, Alaska

William R. Eubank

Sand Point, Shumagin Islands, Popov Island, Alaska.

Solving the housing shortage for teachers.

A few miles of roads, a landing strip against the side of a bluff, a beautiful harbor - 550 miles (and hours of travel) southwest of Anchorage sitting on Popov Island - a bit of isolation.

When our family arrived at Sand Point in 1973 there were 350 people living in the community. Housing was in short supply and the fishing industry was growing rapidly.

Many teachers that I met in Alaska picked up a second vocation - sometimes fishing in the summer, or often as a construction worker. This page shows several structures that were built between 1976 and 1986 by myself, family members and teaching colleagues.

I did my first stint of construction on St. Paul Island during the summer of 1972. At that time I worked on a project of remodeling - replacing windows and doors in a large structure owned by the Department of Commerce.

The Triplex

The triplex was built by the principal, the shop teacher and myself. We started as early as April working on the foundation. The "lot" was probably sold to us under the belief that since it was so steep and rocky, we would never be able to do anything with it.

We dug to solid rock, set our mudsills, put in our piles in the traditional method of construction in that area. Our method was to build the building to fit the hill - with the third apartment extending out behind the main structure on the relatively flat top of the hill.

The fourth apartment was later added at the road level under the first two. Later still, the Seismic Observatory was added under the back apartment. Three forced air furnaces were put in, and three hotwater heaters.

The Pines (5 plex)

Harborview (8 plex & Laundry)

Oceanview (10 plex)

Westview (6 plex)

William R. Eubank
1632 Burcham Drive
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
United States of America

wmeubank@yahoo.com