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No look at Anchorage historic sites is complete without including the Historic Anchorage Hotel. The only historic hotel among Anchorage's lodging properties, the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1916, in a time when Anchorage was yet in its infancy, the Anchorage Hotel has grown in and with its namesake city. For many years the Hotel was the primary meeting and gathering place. There was a time, in its youth, when the Anchorage Hotel was the only place in the new city where you could enjoy a meal replete with fine china, linen, and silver.

One of the most prestigious guests of the Anchorage Hotel was renowned artist Sydney Laurence who spent most of his years in Alaska painting in his studio, which was then housed in the hotel lobby. He called an upstairs suite his home during those years and is most recognized for his breathtaking renderings of Mt. McKinley and various other points of interest throughout the Alaskan frontier.

By 1936, due to growth of the city, the Anchorage Hotel needed to expand. Thus the Anchorage Hotel Annex was built across the alley on 3rd Avenue and a sky-bridge was constructed to connect the two buildings. Over the years the original building was sold and eventually torn down. The Annex continued to function, but that too was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. It even was allowed to be sold and operate under a different name altogether. In 1986, under new ownership, The Historic Anchorage Hotel was restored to her former glory and today stands as a tribute to the city's heritage and an acknowledgment of the hopes and dreams for the future.

Second on the list of important historic sites in Anchorage is the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, located between 6th and 9th Avenues and Fairbanks and Cordova Streets in downtown Anchorage, first established as the Cemetery Reserve by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915 when Anchorage was still a Town-site. President Wilson declared the land to be made available to the public free of charge.

President Wilson ordered the land subdivided and 50% sold to qualified religious and fraternal organizations. This has created one of the most unusual cemeteries in the nation. During the early years of the cemetery there were no published policies, structure, or management, consequently burials could be performed by tract owners with little to no coordination or record keeping. Grounds-keeping, maintenance, and grave recording were then tract owners responsibilities. In 1979 the Municipality of Anchorage was chosen as the managing agency and until 1991 a city official managed the cemetery from an off-site office.

In 1991, a part-time manager was placed on-site and in 1998 a full-time Cemetery Director was employed to manage all cemetery operations. This included locating and recording records from the first burial record of Mr. John B. Parks on July 17, 1915 right through today. That is a records listing with over 9,500 entries. On April 26, 1993 the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

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