Every Sunday, a prayer is read for sea-faring Sitkans at St. Peter’s by the Sea. Built in 1899, it’s one of the oldest Episcopal churches in Alaska.
As its name suggests, St. Peter’s by the Sea used to be right along the water. But today, it’s separated from Crescent Harbor by Lincoln Street, a stretch of grass, and a pedestrian walkway.
“Lincoln Street wasn’t here,” says Mim McConnell, the senior warden of St. Peter’s. “It was Beach Road, and it was just a gravel road just above the beach.”
McConnell says the building shows its age.
“We live in a really wet environment, and we all know what happens to a house that isn’t taken care of. Rain and wind can destroy it pretty quickly.”
Renovations have been underway, which will help the building better withstand the elements and preserve its storied features, like its bell from Philadelphia.
To reach Sitka in the 19th century, it was shipped thousands of miles around the southern tip of South America. Once it got here, the church realized the bell tower they had already put up was too small.
“I mean you’re not going to send a bell back,” she says.
So a bigger bell tower was built. And there’s another detail that came about by mistake. Above the front doors, in the middle of the circular stained glass window, there’s the Star of David.
“That was apparently intended for someplace else, and we got the wrong one. At least that’s the story that’s been passed down,” McConnell explains.
In 2024, a stonemason helped repair stone buttresses and the staircase out front. The next step is to add gutters and replace the weathered cedar shakes on the roof with composite shingles starting in April.
“You can see how some homes around town, left alone, will eventually collapse, and so that could happen here,” McConnell says.
Between the church and its rectory, McConnell estimates repairs will total near a million dollars. It’s a tall order, but she says grants and donations will help keep the building standing and its doors open.
