Unbuilt Community in Alaska, United States
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 m
2
) of office space, 300,000 square feet (28,000 m
2
) 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 km
2
; 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
.