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See House

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1905, H. L. Duhring, Jr.

Just behind the church is the See House, the home of Bishop Peter Trimble Rowe. Although designed by Philadelphia architect H. L. Duhring, Jr., at the same time he designed the church, construction was delayed on the house. Finally, in 1905, Rowe built his house, doing most of the construction work himself.

The house is a splendid example of the provincial Shingle style, complementing the church. Two and a half stories in height and irregular in plan, the wood-shingled building has a variety of projections, bays, and oriels. The wood-shingled hip roof and a stone chimney add to the rustic textures.

Rowe and his family did not stay here long. Faced with the decline of Sitka as the center of Alaska's trade and politics and desiring better medical care for his ailing wife, Rowe moved his office to Seattle in 1912, although he was buried in Sitka after his death in 1942. This house served as the rectory for the church—one of the grandest houses in the town.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Alison K. Hoagland
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Citation

Alison K. Hoagland, "See House", [Sitka, Alaska], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/AK-01-SE044.1.

Print Source

Buildings of Alaska, Alison K. Hoagland. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 190-190.

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