CIRI Building

The CIRI Building, completed in 1977, has been heralded as one of the first office buildings in Anchorage to break out of the box mold. The Cook Inlet Region, Inc., one of a dozen Native corporations set up under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to manage money and land distributed by the federal government, wanted a distinctive building for which to serve as its headquarters. The ten-story building with a reflective glass and spandrelite curtain wall has chamfered and cantilevered corners that belie its essentially rectangular shape. Along the north wall is a plant-filled atrium, into which stairways open. The IRMA roof—inverted roof membrane assembly—is a flat roof frequently used on major commercial buildings in Anchorage. Rigid foam on the outside is held down with loosely laid concrete pavers; water runs down through the insulation to the composite roof deck. Despite its glassy appearance, the CIRI Building exceeded industry standards for energy conservation.

The CIRI Building remained the headquarters for the Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Native Corporation until 2015. That year, CIRI relocated to the Fireweed Business Center, a new building located a short distance away in midtown Anchorage. However, rather than selling the CIRI Building, the Native Corporation instead decided to maintain it in its real estate portfolio and rent space out to a number local and national businesses. Some of these include the engineering firm, HDR Inc., Cruz Construction, Nabors Alaska Drilling Inc., Sramek Hightower CPAs, and Yukon Title Company, among others. The same year that CIRI officially relocated, the company also renovated the older facility with new restrooms and an expanded commons area. According to official CIRI publications, the building now serves as a long-term investment asset and a Class A income-producing property.