Wrangell in Wrangell Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Patenaude/Grant Building
Patenaude Barber Shop
| | 22 Front Street | |
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 8, 2018
1. Patenaude/Grant Building Marker
Leo Patenaude, local businessman, constructed the building to replace the one he lost in the 1906 fire. The original storefront featured a diagonally recessed entrance in the center of the south facade. In June 1908, Patenaude had a flagstaff set into the top of the turret. The building and storefront have been significantly altered.
Patenaude became a leading Wrangell citizen. He served as Town Clerk, Treasurer and ex- officio tax collector. A French-Canadian by birth, Patenaude traveled to the western United States and settled in Tacoma where he married and began work as a barber. In the spring of 1898, he and his wife were caught up in the gold fever and they traveled to Wrangel. He opened a barber shop in a building located next door to the Fort Wrangel Brewery Beer Hall. Patenaude purchased the lot (where the present Patenaude Building stands)
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The Patenaude Building housed a barbershop for over fifteen years. Patenaude operated his barber and tobacco shop for six years in the downstairs level, while the upstairs provided office space. One of the upstairs rooms served as the City Council Chambers, and for a number of years, voters registered in his building. In 1908 an upstairs room was "nicely fitted up" for meetings of the City Council and Fire Company until the Town Hall on Church Street was built in 1911. Other rooms upstairs provided office space for Dr. Chas. A. Emery, a dentist who arrived in 1907.
Patenaude left the business to Charles Fallowsbee in 1913, and the barbershop continued. J.P. Levering worked as a barber and also offered electric massages in 1917. The barbershop was replaced in 1921 by John Fanning's Shoe Shop. Fanning extensively repaired the structure. In 1925 Florence Scribner began to operate her "Rose Gray Beauty Parlour" in the building. Since that time it has housed a plumbing supply store and photography shop. The building presently is home
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 8, 2018
2. Patenaude/Grant Building & Marker
(photo caption:)
The Patenaude Grant Building (right) and buildings erected after 1906 fire.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.
Location. 56° 28.315′ N, 132° 23.148′ W. Marker is in Wrangell, Alaska, in Wrangell Borough. It is at the intersection of Front Street and McKinnon Street, on the right when traveling west on Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22 Front Street, Wrangell AK 99929, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Alaska, in Tlingit and Haida & Tsimshian Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, in the Inside Passage, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least one other marker is within walking distance of this marker: United States Post Office and Customs House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line).
Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 25, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
