Why Rick Steves Says Juneau Alaska Is The Ugliest State Capitol Building
By Hillary Louise Johnson
VACATIONS
When Rick Steves laid eyes on Alaska's statehouse in Juneau, he declared it "the ugliest state capitol building in the USA." The building is a bland, neoclassical shoebox.
The rest of Juneau, Steves said, "has a certain Alaskan charm." He praised its rustic Russian Orthodox church, Gold Rush vibe, and the seafood at Tracy's King Crab Shack.
A few years ago, the state held a design competition for their capitol building, and a firm called Morphosis won with a translucent dome that looks like an alien egg.
The locals didn’t like the design and were glad when funds for the redesign ran out. The old capitol is less obtrusive, doing little to detract from the town’s frontier ambiance.