The Polaris building has defined the skyline of the Golden Heart City of Alaska for the last six decades. For more than a decade, it has sat empty.
Decay defines Polaris now - ceilings and sheetrock walls disintegrating while floors covered in thick ice drown the upper floors' shag carpet. The stairwells act as a virtual time machine as the further a casual explorer ventures, the decades slip away. Early 90s decor gives into faux wood paneling of the 80s and the vibrantly obnoxious colors of the late 60s and 70s.
Showing these photographs to Fairbanksans does not cause the kind of emotions usually associated with losing a place dear to them. On the contrary, the pictures bring smiles as they remember their first job at the Tiki Cove, taking their wife for their first date at the restaurant or moving into their first apartment.
Even as decay continues to rot away the Polaris, it remains a major fixture in Fairbanks History.
