Overlooking downtown Juneau is Wickersham State Historical Site , which preserves the 1898 home of pioneer judge and statesman James Wickersham. In 2011, the museum was closed for extensive renovation. Call to see if it has reopened.
Two blocks downhill is St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church . Built in 1893 against the backdrop of Mt Juneau, the onion-domed church is the oldest original one in Alaska. From a small gift shop filled with matreshkas (nestling dolls) and other handcrafted items from Russia, you enter the church where, among the original vestments and religious relics, a row of painted saints stare down at you. Playing softly in the background are the chants from a service. If you weren’t spiritual before, you probably are now.
Across from the Juneau-Douglas City Museum is the State Office Building , known locally as the SOB. From the outdoor court on the 8th floor there is a spectacular view of the channel and Douglas Island, while in the lobby is a massive Kimball organ dating back to 1928. Every Friday at noon a performance is given, a good reason to join state workers for a brown-bag lunch. West of the SOB along 4th Ave is the pillared Governor’s Mansion . Built and furnished in 1912 at a cost of $44,000, the mansion is not open to the public.
