Look up at Loussac Library and notice the texture of the ceiling in the bridge connecting its fortress-like turrets. Loussac Library, designed by Environmental Concerns, Inc. of Spokane, Washington, is the second building to carry the name of that former Anchorage mayor. The first, funded by Z.J. Loussac’s philanthropic efforts, was built in the ‘50s in a prime position in Downtown Anchorage along Fifth Avenue.
In the ‘70s, the city grew (and merged with its surrounding borough), and another mayor pushed for public investments worthy of the burgeoning metropolis. George M. Sullivan was the driving force behind Project 80s, a slate of state-funded construction projects. Those buildings included the new Loussac Library, the Egan Civic & Convention Center on the site of the previous library, the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts across the street, and the multipurpose arena named in Sullivan’s honor.
On the occasion of this magazine’s 40th anniversary, this month’s article “Anchorage’s Aspirations” checks in
