Driving along the desolate path made by Interstate A4 in Alaska, the only things visible as far as the eye can see are woodlands, snow-topped mountain ranges, and perhaps the occasional wild animal.
That is until you reach Igloo City: population zero. The name invokes the idea of a bustling community – but in reality, it is comprised of one massive, solitary, igloo left abandoned for decades.
It was the life-long dream of an eccentric woodsman named Leon Smith: a hotel that doubled as a tourist attraction that would bring visitors from around the world to spend the night in a giant urethane igloo he built by hand. Smith passed away in 1999, without ever seeing a single guest at the Igloo Lodge.
It is currently owned by the former janitor, Brad Fisher, who has put the peculiar building on the market for $300,000 in the hopes that whoever becomes the new head of the hotel can turn it into the spectacular destination it was intended to be.
Igloo City was the dream of Leon Smith, a World War II veteran and businessman living near Cantwell, Alaska
He first opened the Igloo gas station on the remote site on the A4 highway in Alaska, near the Denali National Park, as a respite for drivers going to the park or commuting to the state’s capitol of Anchorage, which is about 300 miles away
He later had the idea for a unique hotel on the 38-acre property, which he decided to build by hand. Dubbed Igloo City, he set to work constructing the lodge with plywood, two-by-sixes and urethane
Leon Smith was no ordinary man, which provides some context to his extraordinary dream.
During World War II, he was a part of Operation Watchtower, in which he fought Japanese forces at the Battle of Guadalcanal.
He then settled in California as the captain of a small boat, and steadily made his way north with the goal of becoming a deep-sea fisherman, according to Vice. He married a young woman named Elizabeth, and the two settled down in the small town of Cantwell, Alaska.
Cantwell, with a population of approximately 220 people, is more than 300 miles from the state’s largest city and capital, Anchorage, but is a transit town many pass through on their way to Denali National Park, popular for hiking and skiing.
The Smiths started their first business endeavor by opening up a small gas station on the highway to serve as a rest stop for those traveling for winter activities and to the military base in Anchorage.
In the 1960s, Leon got the inspiration to take his rest stop business even further and build a hotel that could be a fun-filled haven for travelers.
His design was simple: an igloo, to represent the state of Alaska.
A reporter once asked Leon why he chose to build such an eccentric hotel in a relatively unpopulated area, to which his response was: ‘You wouldn’t put an igloo hotel in Kansas or Egypt, would you?’
Smith came to Alaska and became a deep sea fisherman before he became fixated on the hotel. His design was simple: an igloo, to represent the state
He envisioned himself living at the very top floor with his family – with a restaurant, bar, liquor store and gift shop on the bottom floor
Unfortunately, the process was slower than Leon anticipated. In 1991, at the age of 70, he was still working tirelessly to make his dream a reality
He approached his friend and long-time janitor of the Lodge, Brad Fisher, who reluctantly took on the job in the mid-1990s
He took on the project on by himself, and began building the 58-room dome piece by piece. He envisioned himself living at the very top floor with his family – with a restaurant, bar, liquor store and gift shop on the bottom floor.
Unfortunately, the process was slower than Leon anticipated. In 1991, at the age of 70, he was still working tirelessly to make his dream a reality.
Eventually, as Leon got older, he realized that he would need someone to continue his hopeful legacy. He approached his friend and long-time janitor of the Lodge, Brad Fisher, who reluctantly took on the job.
‘He said “Give me an offer,” but we didn’t really want to buy it, so I gave him a low price and, after about 20 minutes out in his car, he agreed,’ Fisher told the Alaska Dispatch News.
Shortly after selling the Igloo to Fisher, Leon passed away in 1999 at the age of 78.
Determined to continue his friend’s legacy, Fisher sprang to action to see what needed to be done to finish the Igloo Lodge.
Unfortunately, there were a number of unforeseen obstacles – including the rising price of gas and fuel in the early 2000s.
Adhering to state building codes also posed a problem. Evidently, when Leon built the wooden windows, they weren’t the right size.
A major issue with the building of the Igloo Lodge was that the windows were not built to the required standards
It’s possible that Leon was able to proceed with building his igloo to subpar standards because the construction process was largely unregulated
Arlene Lumbab, an examiner with the Alaska Business Licensing Department, told DailyMail.com that blueprints or floor plans of any establishment aren’t a requirement in the state to secure a license
A design was created to bring the building back up to code under Fisher’s supervision, but money ran out before the project could be completed
Since the Igloo Lodge’s business license expired in 2000, all of the documents pertaining to its existence have since been destroyed by the state
‘Basically the windows in that place are too small,’ Fisher said. ‘They weren’t put in according to the blue prints, I don’t know why. So we came up with a design to bring it up to code. We had a lot of plans but unfortunately we just ran out of money [to follow through]. When the price of fuel went up it just became unrealistic.’
It’s possible that Leon was able to proceed with building his igloo to subpar standards because the construction process was largely unregulated. Arlene Lumbab, an examiner with the Alaska Business Licensing Department, told the DailyMail.com that blueprints or floor plans of any establishment aren’t a requirement in the state to secure a license.
Since the Igloo Lodge’s business license expired in 2000 – all of the documents pertaining to its existence have since been destroyed by the state.
In 2005, Fisher was forced to pull the plug. He closed Leon’s gas station, and abandoned hope of ever resurrecting the Igloo Lodge, which quickly fell victim to vandals.
Local children once nearly sent the whole building up in flames while shooting off fireworks. Frequently, drivers pull over to relieve themselves on its sloping walls.
‘Someone stole the staircase out of it, and it’s amazing the amount of people who go in there to relieve themselves, it’s frustrating,’ Fisher told Vice. ‘People are just terrorizing it,’ he said.
Graffiti slowly began to take over its facade – some friendly, like one large purple declaration that reads: ‘I <3 you this big!’ – some not, such as a steaming pile of excrement emblazoned on one side.
In 2005, Fisher was forced to pull the plug. He closed Leon’s gas station, and abandoned hope of ever resurrecting the Igloo Lodge, which quickly fell victim to vandals
Local children once nearly sent the whole building up in flames while shooting off fireworks. Frequently, drivers pull over to relieve themselves on its sloping walls
It’s Fisher’s hope that by listing the property, someone who has the means and the funds to purchase and renovate the Igloo can do a better job of restoring it to Leon’s vision
The decline of the Igloo Lodge has been a point of discontent between Fisher and Leon Smith’s children, who are unhappy at seeing their father’s life-long dream reduced to a roadside toilet.
Susanne Staymates, who claims to be Leon’s daughter, wrote: ‘I grow [sic] up at the Igloo my dad built the Igloo 888 sheets of plywood and for the people that bought it just let it go to s**t like this it just makes me want to CRY some people just do not care about someone else [sic] dreams.’
It’s Fisher’s hope that by listing the property, someone who has the means and the funds to purchase and renovate the Igloo can do a better job of restoring it to Leon’s vision.
Though the Igloo (and the 38 acres it sits on) is listed for $300,000, Fisher estimates that the costs of renovation will probably require an additional million dollars.
‘I can’t afford to do anything with it,’ he said. ‘It’s for sale, and, you know, if you don’t want it to deteriorate, then buy it!’