Eielson Building

1820 Salcha Street

Eielson BuildingÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ photos by Sierra Coley

The Carl Ben Eielson Memorial Building, which opened in 1934, was originally intended to house a school of aeronautical engineering complete with a wind tunnel and labs to test atmospheric conditions.

In the 1930s, aviation was one of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ's fastest growing industries, and Fairbanks was at its center due to its desirable location for over-the-pole routes to Asia and Europe. But the aeronautics school never came to be.

The building was named as a tribute to Carl Ben Eielson, known as the "Arctic Lindbergh," who died in a 1929 airplane crash. 

Today the Eielson Building houses offices for several ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ administrative and academic units.