Russian Bishop's House
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Russian Bishop's House | |
 | |
   | |
| Location | 501 Lincoln Street, Sitka, Alaska |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 57°03′05″N 135°19′52″W / 57.05147°N 135.33101°W |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1843 |
| Part of | Sitka National Historical Park (ID66000164) |
| MPS | Russian Orthodox Church Buildings and Sites TR (AD) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000025[1] |
| AHRS No. | SIT-009 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | June 13, 1962 |
| Designated CP | October 15, 1966 |
The Russian Bishop's House (Russian: Русский Архиерейский Дом), once the Russian Mission Orphanage (Russian: Российская Миссия Орфанадж), is a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark at Lincoln and Monastery Streets in Sitka, Alaska. Built in 1841–43, this log structure is one of the oldest surviving buildings of Russian America, and was one of the centerpieces of the Russian Orthodox church's efforts to spread its influence among the natives of Alaska. It was the home and administrative center of Ivan Veniaminov, the first Bishop of Alaska, later canonized as Innocent of Alaska. The house is now a unit of Sitka National Historical Park, and is administered by the National Park Service.
Secondary buildings
The Russian Bishop's House is a two-story log structure, measuring about 42 by 63 feet (13 m × 19 m). It is divided into nine bays, each measuring about 7 feet (2.1 m) (one sazhen) square, and covered by a hip roof. The east and west ends of the building are further extended by shed-roof "galleries" that are 14 feet (4.3 m) wide, which historically provided space for stairwells, storage, latrines, and entrances.[2]
The exterior has undergone a number of alterations since construction. The south facade was sheathed in clapboarding c. 1851, and the galleries were roofed in metal around that time. In 1887 the galleries were sheathed in board-and-batten siding. The interior was repeatedly altered over the decades, and underwent a major restoration once the property was acquired by the National Park Service 1973.[2]
The property on which the Bishop's House stands includes two secondary buildings associated with the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church. East of the main house stands the Old School, a two-story wood-frame structure built in 1897 to provide a kindergarten and girls' school. House 105 is a 1+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure which stands facing Monastery Street. It was originally on a separate parcel of land, and was apparently moved to its present location in the 1950s.[2]
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