On the shore of Unalaska, a remote island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain, a peculiar building stands out from its windswept surroundings: a meticulously designed Victorian-era home with blue siding, white trim, and a red roof. It’s the Bishop’s House at the Holy Ascension of Our Lord Cathedral, one of Alaska’s oldest Russian Orthodox churches.
For years the house sat disused. Fierce Bering Sea storms had faded its once-vibrant exterior, and moss crept over its cedar-shingled roof.
Last year, an Alaska-based nonprofit, Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska (ROSSIA), finished a decade-long, $800,000 effort to revive it. The work included repainting the house, refinishing its floors, and restoring a unique mahogany staircase.
“It’s a landmark,” says Katherine McGlashan, director of Unalaska’s visitors bureau. “It is very precious to our community and our culture.”
