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All the United States Alaska Cantwell Igloo City

Igloo City

Four-story concrete hotel never opened to customers.

Cantwell, Alaska

Added By
Nick Jackson
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  Jeremy Reding/Flickr
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Igloo City   nrudiak / Atlas Obscura User
  daniellecavuoti / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
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Igloo   Malcolm Manners
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Inside Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
Igloo City, 2021   judyinalaska / Atlas Obscura User
  howthewestwas1 / Atlas Obscura User
  carianij2 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Igloo City in Cantwell, Alaska, is the strangest kind of tourist attraction. First, it's in a remote region of one of the most remote states in the United States. But second, and more surprisingly, it's an attraction that never even opened for business.

Intended to one day serve as a hotel, Igloo City in Cantwell, Alaska, was never completed. It was constructed sometime in the 1970s, but could not meet the building codes of the time; while it might be easier to meet some of those codes today, too much of the hotel has deteriorated over the years to make renovation worthwhile. Not for lack of trying, though; ever since its construction, the building has gone through many owners, none of whom could get it up to par. The most recent lessees announced they are planning to turn it into a distillery in June 2023.

The four-story concrete structure can be seen by airplanes at 30,000 feet it is so large. But the interior was never finished. We know this because the igloo is no longer padlocked as it once was—with so many parts starting to fall apart, it's impossible to keep curious passersby from wandering in to explore—and many have made their way inside.

It's primary significance today is that it mark the halfway point between Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska's two largest cities on the Parks Highway.

Related Tags

Abandoned Hotels Shops Places To Stay Architectural Oddities Outsider Architecture Architecture

Know Before You Go

On the south side of the Parks Hwy at mile 188.5.

As of September 2024 there are no trespassing signs saying there are full time residents, and to please only take photos from the road.

Community Contributors

Added By

nbj914

Edited By

ExploringTheObscure, katrich, howthewestwas1, Allison...

  • ExploringTheObscure
  • katrich
  • howthewestwas1
  • Allison
  • richstaab
  • Meg
  • Collector of Experiences
  • anneswilliams
  • daniellecavuoti
  • judyinalaska
  • nrudiak
  • carianij2

Published

July 6, 2011

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Sources
  • https://alaskapublic.org/2023/06/27/the-parks-highway-igloos-being-renovated-to-sell-booze/
  • Roadside America: Cantwell, Alaska - Igloo City - Giant Igloo-Shaped Building: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/4
  • City Profile: Igloo City: http://www.cityprofile.com/alaska/igloo-city.html
  • Manta: Igloo City: http://www.manta.com/c/mmg46yf/igloo-city
  • Yelp: Igloo City Resort: http://www.yelp.com/biz/igloo-city-resort-cantwell
  • Exploring The Obscure http://www.exploringtheobscure.com
Igloo City
Cantwell, Alaska, 99729
United States
63.187642, -149.359841

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Photo of Alaska

Alaska

United States

Places 102
Stories 45

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