Built 1940 (1940) Opened 1940 Added to NRHP 21 June 1991 | NRHP Reference # 91000773 Area 3 ha | |
 | ||
Location Roughly bounded by S. Colony, E. Firewood, S. Eklutua, E. Elmwood, S. Denali and a line N of properties on E. Dahlia, Palmer, Alaska MPS Settlement and Economic Development of Alaska's Matanuska--Susitna Valley MPS | ||
The Matanuska Colony Community Center is a cluster of buildings near the center of Palmer, Alaska that were the centerpiece of the Depression-era Matanuska Valley Colony. This federal rural resettlement program was intended to give needy families resources and land to improve their condition. The colony's buildings were erected beginning in 1935, and those that survive represent a well-preserved example of government community planning. It is centered on a city block bounded by E Dahlia, S Valley Way, S Denali, and E Elmwood, and extends to the north and south. The buildings on this block are organized around a grassy quadrangle, laid out in 1935. Prominent buildings include three churches, located in the block just southeast of the quadrangle, one of which, the United Protestant Church, is a distinctive log structure. The colony's Central School, now added to several times, houses the offices of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.