Anchorage, Alaska, Demolishes The Town Square During Summer Tourism Season, And It's A Mess

COPPER RIVER COUNTRY JOURNAL 

 Town Square Is Located Next To The Performing Arts Center 

City Flattens Its Park For Major Renovations 

Vibrant, heavily-used Town Square one year ago, on June 19th, 2025. (Country Journal)

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD  

This Was Then...

The Town Square has been reviled as a place that was unsafe, despite
still hosting large community events as late as last summer. 

June, 2025. 

This was Town Square, in the heart of Anchorage. (Photo, Journal archives) 

And This Is Now...

Town Square today. July, 2026.  (Country Journal)

Brick Donors Thought They Would Have A Lasting Memorial 

In the 1990s, a brick fundraising program raised almost $600,000 to help add the finishing touches to a lovely Town Square in the city of Anchorage. There were words on the bricks – symbols of durability and support for the sprawling, chaotic town of Anchorage, paid for by  the people who wanted to show their love for their city by helping build a pretty little park in its center. They got satisfaction in knowing they'd left behind a brick with their names on it, to prove they had been part of something special. 

Not quite 'forever'... An abandoned donated brick in Town Square. 

Fairbanks does that kind of thing all the time. Bricks surround the statue of the 'Unknown First Family' in the Golden Heart Plaza, and feature the names of Fairbanks people who want to be remembered as caretakers of their city. 

There are also symbolic bricks on a large wall in the Morris Thompson Cultural Center in Fairbanks, with the names of donors who intend to help keep the flame of local history alive in that museum. 

Some donors mistakenly thought the bricks at Town Square were almost sacred. 
One is in memory of  'Heaven's Very Special Child.' 

In Fairbanks, these small memorials will most likely last a very long time. 

But Anchorage, of course, is different. This summer, the city is tearing down the Square – and the original and historic Town Square bricks are in disarray – a symbol of lost promise and that hoped-for message to the future. 

Brick donated by the now-closed Matanuska Maid Dairy. 

In classic Anchorage manner, the future has now arrived, and heavy equipment is ripping up the little park in Downtown Anchorage, and pulling up the bricks as the park is flattened, with a new plan underway. And a new chance to donate brick money to a new project, which looks like it'll cost around $3 million.

Apparently, if you donated a brick way back when you can retrieve it somehow: 

Meanwhile, here's what the park looks like, on the balmy summer evening of July 10th, 2026, as eager travelers wandered the streets of Alaska's city, here to see what we value, how we live, and who we are. 

Classic-style lampposts, taken down at Town Square in July, 2026. 

Trashed-out grounds of Town Square. Summer of 2026 

Not surprisingly, Facebook postings give widely varying takes on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing: 

This Facebook exchange shows how people thought buying a granite brick at the Town Square would be a message into a distant future... 

Here's a 'holiday gift' newspaper notice from that time which someone found recently and posted on Facebook. It promised 'instant immortality' and a very long shelf life for the bricks: 

All photos to the Copper River Country Journal 

_______________

NOTICE FROM CITY OF ANCHORAGE 

2026 Town Square Park Reconstruction Project

​Anchorage Park Foundation $500K Town Square Park Challenge

Rasmuson Foundation will MATCH $1 for every $1 donated to the Town Square Park Fund, UP TO $500,000!

Make ​a Match

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About Town Square Park​

Town Square Park is an important park and civic space located in the heart of downtown Anchorage. More than a park, Town Square Park is a catalyst for the development of Downtown Anchorage’s commerce and cultural exchange.

Town Square Park was created in 1984 through a citizen-led initiative. At the time, the park was envisioned as an oasis from the urban environment of Alaska’s largest city. Over the years, use of the park has evolved, as have public preferences for what Town Square Park should be.

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Today, Anchorage residents envision Town Square Park not only as a green oasis but also as an active and vibrant public space, a hub for activity downtown, and a place where friends meet, families gather, and the community celebrates.​​

​​Project Overview​​

​In 2019, following two years of public involvement and plan development, the Town Square Park Master Plan was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The master plan provides a 20-year vision that seeks to address issues, prioritize improvements, and identify strategies to ensure that Town Square Park is a safe and thriving public space for all.

From 2023 to the present, the Parks and Recreation Department has been working to improve safety within the park through event activation, lighting upgrades, and improving sight lines into the park.​

​

2025 Park Activation and 2026 Implementation ​

In 2025, the proposed bond of $2.9 million was passed for the implementation of the master plan. The efforts moving forward will incorporate the goals expressed in the master plan document alongside historical, current, and future context and budgetary considerations.​

Summer 2025

• Security Enhancements - Seven security cameras have been purchased and installed during the summer of 2025. Once online, they will be monitored by APD’s Real-Time Crime Center. APD and MOA IT are collaborating to ensure system readiness.

• ​Sightline Improvements - For park safety and security, select tree clearing/limbing and invasive tree species removal have taken place to improve sightlines and visibility into the park.

Exciting programming took place during the summer of 2025 to energize the park. This included:

• ​Biker Buddies Tuesdays: A youth cycling program
• Live After Five Thursdays: Hosted by Anchorage Downtown Partnership
• Friday Night Market: After-work events with music, vendors, and food until 9 PM

2026 Park Reconstruction​

Phase 1: Site Reconstruction - $2,850,000 (Bond Funded) 

The 2026 Implementation concept is rooted in the 2019 Master Plan. The concept overlays current site conditions with design goals, focusing initial investments—supported by the $2.9 million 2025 Park bond and the $750,000 2026 Park Bond —on:​

• Demolition 
  
• Site Improvements
• Walkways and plazas
• Curbs & Structures
• Elevated walkway
• Lighting Improvements
• Pedestrian and Flood Luminaire Poles
• Electrical Amenities (Load Centers, Company Switch, and Enclosures)
• String (Catenary) Lights
• Landscape Improvements
• Trees, Horticulture Beds, & Lawn Areas
• Nature Play Area
• Irrigation Improvements

Design priorities include creating more inviting park entrances and improving ADA accessibility.

1% for Art: Iconic Lighted Sculpture(s) - $240,000 (2025 Weidner Center donation through Anchorage Park Foundation).

Phase 2: Future Upgrades - (Not yet funded)

• Swing Benches ($275k)
• New Site Amenities ($300k)
• Tables
• Benches
• Trash Receptacles
• Bike Racks
• Interpretive Signage ($100k)
• Donor Bricks
• Memorials (Avis Cupples & Shirley Brundage)
• Indigenous Place Names Pillar ($50k)
  

Project Timeline

 

Town Square Donor Bricks

Town Square Park’s commemorative donor bricks have been a meaningful part of downtown Anchorage since the early 1990s, when thousands were purchased and installed by community members. Placed throughout the park’s walkways and gathering areas, these bricks often feature personal inscriptions, names, memorials, and special messages, reflecting decades of local history and community connection.

As part of the major reconstruction and revitalization of Town Square Park, these bricks are now being removed. Many have reached the end of their lifecycle, and their removal is necessary to accommodate new construction and the park’s updated design. 

The Municipality of Anchorage is returning the bricks to their original owners whenever possible. During scheduled pickup periods (times and location to be announced), owners will be invited to claim their bricks. Bricks will be carefully palletized and transferred from Town Square Park to a nearby Parks and Recreation facility for pickup and can be identified by their ID numbers, buyer name, or inscription. Brick owners have the option to keep their brick or forfeit it for repurposing, allowing the materials to be reused in future municipal projects.

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For more information, visit: Town Square Park Commemorative Brick Return.