Letter: In praise of boxy Anchorage housing

Boxy housing isn’t pretty, but it’s pretty awesome.

Anchorage’s rectangular housing stock is a result of our boom cycles, times when housing needed to sprout fast. There was no time or money for creativity.

For as long as I’ve lived in Anchorage, I’ve lived in a box. Both the retro split-level and the ‘70s fourplex contain carbon-copy floor plans on the first and second floors. The majority of the plumbing is along one wall. The stacked rectangles are an energy-efficient blank slate that makes the most out of every square foot.

While some call Anchorage’s boxy housing stock “ugly,” I call it “efficient.” I love a good box.

— Allie Hartman, Anchorage

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