Alaskan urbanization .1870-1900
Besides and education from his mother in politics ,Francis I was also taught to be an architect by his father who was himself somewhat well known for designing the new naval hospital in Anchorage .
Francis planned to put this training to good use by rebuilding the city of Dunedin which had been burnt to the ground by a fire in 1868 .He proposed the idea to Isabel who thought it a good use of her sons talents and something his father would have been proud of .So she commissioned Francis as chief architect for the rebuilding of Dunedin .
The Duma allowed Francis to build the city however he saw fit in the hopes that when he was made king he might be so distracted with building his city that he would leave the important people who ran the government alone .
With the joint freedom of no government supervision and unlimited funding Francis planned the new Dunedin to look very different from contemporary cities .For one the city was to have a circular plan with four main roads converging around a vast park ringed with white marble columns imported from Europe (paid for with his own money) .Ringing the park would be circular roads to deal with traffic with large rings of buildings in between which would hold factories ,housing and entertainment for the population of the new city .
The plan called for the roads to be five lanes wide with two lanes for outgoing traffic ,two lanes for in going traffic and the center lane for the trolley system which would wind it`s way through the city carrying men around far easier than horse drawn carriages would .
Large cobblestone sidewalks were to line the streets with certain thorough fares having bridges for foot traffic going over roads to ease congestion .
Outside the city limits a vast complex was built to accommodate the vast amounts of rails traffic and goods passing through the city .
Construction began in 1870 with the laying of the cobblestone streets and sewer and fresh water pipes deep underground .
By the time Francis had taken over as king the city was nearing completion with the transportation side of the city handling around ten percent of the traffic it was designed to .

Arial view of Dunedin circa 1943 showing the layout of the city well .
It was at this time that other cities within the nation began to notice how unremarkable they were compared to the gleaming marvel that had become known as Dunedin .Whereas Dunedin had paved streets and sewers most of the cities of the kingdom ,including the capital itself had mud streets and no sewers .Whereas Dunedin had gleaming multi story stone and brick tenements other cities had small single and dual floor wooden boardinghouses .
To remedy this many of the cities governments petitioned their new king to rebuild them along the lines of Dunedin .
Chief among the cities wishing to be rebuilt was Anchorage which hated the notion that another city could be called grander than the very seat of power .They practically demanded that Francis to for them ten times what he had done with Dunedin .And he did not fail to deliver .
The new Anchorage .
In order to one up his master piece Francis planned to cover his new city in monuments to past Alaskan achievements .Vast arches over the streets themselves were to be built to celebrate battles with the Spanish and famous war heroes .
Pillars were to be built to hold statues of those same men to ring the cities central park .The park itself was to be four times as large as the one adorning Dunedin and the roads leading to it would be ten lane rather than five (Four each way plus two lanes for trolleys) and a massive subway system was also built .
The city would have dozens of parks with fountains and trees .Huge tenements were built with ten stories and massive public buildings such as theaters ,zoos and museums were to help to enrich the lives of the everyday citizen .
The project was begun in June of 1885 and had a scheduled date of completion set in 1905 ,though the final buildings would not be done until at least 1920 .
The city also requested that the capital be made to look old and not have the modern feel Dunedin had .They wanted Anchorage to feel like the capital of a European nation with two thousand years of history rather than a lousy imitation .
Francis complied by designing his buildings and monuments in dozens of different styles and periods to make the city feel organic and give it the feeling of age Dunedin decidedly lacked .
He even built the city a massive castle complex to complete the illusion of age .Dubbed the Swan Palace the fortress was to serve as the home of the Monarchy ,Government and Armed forces .A place away from the hustle and bustle of the city yet close enough to be in the city .
The new royal gardens comprising over one hundred acres were spread across the lavish statement of wealth and power .The castle ,built in many different periods and stages to look like it had received many renovations and rebuildings would also hold the royal museum and zoo .All of which would be open to the public .
The Palace complex and city would be first among the many rebuilding projects undertaken and overseen personally during Francis`s reign and would serve to not only increase the look of the nations cities .But also helped to jumpstart the kingdoms economy as along with the tenements large numbers of factories were built to take advantage of Alaska`s abundant natural resources .
The jobs thus produced would help to entice new waves of immigrants to come to Alaska .Not because of the promise of land ,but the promise of a job and housing in the new cities .
Besides and education from his mother in politics ,Francis I was also taught to be an architect by his father who was himself somewhat well known for designing the new naval hospital in Anchorage .
Francis planned to put this training to good use by rebuilding the city of Dunedin which had been burnt to the ground by a fire in 1868 .He proposed the idea to Isabel who thought it a good use of her sons talents and something his father would have been proud of .So she commissioned Francis as chief architect for the rebuilding of Dunedin .
The Duma allowed Francis to build the city however he saw fit in the hopes that when he was made king he might be so distracted with building his city that he would leave the important people who ran the government alone .
With the joint freedom of no government supervision and unlimited funding Francis planned the new Dunedin to look very different from contemporary cities .For one the city was to have a circular plan with four main roads converging around a vast park ringed with white marble columns imported from Europe (paid for with his own money) .Ringing the park would be circular roads to deal with traffic with large rings of buildings in between which would hold factories ,housing and entertainment for the population of the new city .
The plan called for the roads to be five lanes wide with two lanes for outgoing traffic ,two lanes for in going traffic and the center lane for the trolley system which would wind it`s way through the city carrying men around far easier than horse drawn carriages would .
Large cobblestone sidewalks were to line the streets with certain thorough fares having bridges for foot traffic going over roads to ease congestion .
Outside the city limits a vast complex was built to accommodate the vast amounts of rails traffic and goods passing through the city .
Construction began in 1870 with the laying of the cobblestone streets and sewer and fresh water pipes deep underground .
By the time Francis had taken over as king the city was nearing completion with the transportation side of the city handling around ten percent of the traffic it was designed to .

Arial view of Dunedin circa 1943 showing the layout of the city well .
It was at this time that other cities within the nation began to notice how unremarkable they were compared to the gleaming marvel that had become known as Dunedin .Whereas Dunedin had paved streets and sewers most of the cities of the kingdom ,including the capital itself had mud streets and no sewers .Whereas Dunedin had gleaming multi story stone and brick tenements other cities had small single and dual floor wooden boardinghouses .
To remedy this many of the cities governments petitioned their new king to rebuild them along the lines of Dunedin .
Chief among the cities wishing to be rebuilt was Anchorage which hated the notion that another city could be called grander than the very seat of power .They practically demanded that Francis to for them ten times what he had done with Dunedin .And he did not fail to deliver .
The new Anchorage .
In order to one up his master piece Francis planned to cover his new city in monuments to past Alaskan achievements .Vast arches over the streets themselves were to be built to celebrate battles with the Spanish and famous war heroes .
Pillars were to be built to hold statues of those same men to ring the cities central park .The park itself was to be four times as large as the one adorning Dunedin and the roads leading to it would be ten lane rather than five (Four each way plus two lanes for trolleys) and a massive subway system was also built .
The city would have dozens of parks with fountains and trees .Huge tenements were built with ten stories and massive public buildings such as theaters ,zoos and museums were to help to enrich the lives of the everyday citizen .
The project was begun in June of 1885 and had a scheduled date of completion set in 1905 ,though the final buildings would not be done until at least 1920 .
The city also requested that the capital be made to look old and not have the modern feel Dunedin had .They wanted Anchorage to feel like the capital of a European nation with two thousand years of history rather than a lousy imitation .
Francis complied by designing his buildings and monuments in dozens of different styles and periods to make the city feel organic and give it the feeling of age Dunedin decidedly lacked .
He even built the city a massive castle complex to complete the illusion of age .Dubbed the Swan Palace the fortress was to serve as the home of the Monarchy ,Government and Armed forces .A place away from the hustle and bustle of the city yet close enough to be in the city .
The new royal gardens comprising over one hundred acres were spread across the lavish statement of wealth and power .The castle ,built in many different periods and stages to look like it had received many renovations and rebuildings would also hold the royal museum and zoo .All of which would be open to the public .
The Palace complex and city would be first among the many rebuilding projects undertaken and overseen personally during Francis`s reign and would serve to not only increase the look of the nations cities .But also helped to jumpstart the kingdoms economy as along with the tenements large numbers of factories were built to take advantage of Alaska`s abundant natural resources .
The jobs thus produced would help to entice new waves of immigrants to come to Alaska .Not because of the promise of land ,but the promise of a job and housing in the new cities .



