Mayor Begich, Madam Chair & Assembly Members:

My name is Sam Combs & I am an Historic Preservation Architect. I have lived in Anchorage for 50 years. I attended my first movie at the 4th Ave Theater [hereafter FAT] at age three in 1955. A few of the first movies I can remember seeing at the FAT were Lawrence of Arabia & Hatari with my parents and my brothers. At Intermission (when we used to have them), my brothers & I would run out to the lobby to the snack stand & up & down those great stairs to the balcony.

As an Historic Preservation Architect in Anchorage, I have created historical & restoration design documents for the first home in Anchorage-the Oscar Anderson House; the first school in Anchorage-the Pioneer Schoolhouse; & one of the first commercial establishments-the A.J. Wendler Building-commonly known as Club 25. I have worked on the restoration design of over 50 historic projects from Barrow to Cordova, Nome to Eagle in Alaska & in Washington State as well.

[I currently serve on the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation Executive Board & am chair of AIAlaska's Historic Preservation Committee. Past historical board memberships have included the Anchorage Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission, City of Seattle Historic Landmarks Preservation Board, & Chairman of the Seattle Chapter of the AIA Historic Preservation Committee.]

Benjamin Marcus Priteca, born & raised in Scotland, was the Architect of the FAT along with A.A. Porreca of Seattle, & was well known throughout the US & Canada as a theater architect. The FAT was built in 1947 & is the foremost Art Deco/Streamline Moderne (a late branch of the Art Deco style) building in Anchorage.

The exterior of the building is notable for its structural lines in cast concrete. The ground level are of the facade is highlighted by a light Italian marble. The FAT was one of the first buildings to rise to the 4 story level & to feature an elevator.

The interior of the building is highlighted by dark walnut throughout, the golden bronze mural of Mt McKinley in the lobby & bronze-over-silver animations. The theater itself has two large murals that depict the commercial & industrial growth of Alaska & frames both sides of the stage. The Big Dipper & the North Star twinkle on the ceiling.

The FAT must be preserved for our children & our children's children & beyond. To lose this building would be an embarrassment not only to Anchorage, but to Alaska as well. As I stated on the HGTV show Restore America with Bob Vila a few years ago, visitors don't come to a town to see modern new buildings, the come to see the history of the place they are visiting.

Sam Combs, AIA, NCARB, Historic Preservation Architect