Other · Alaska
Weeks Field
Airport (1923–51) fully retrofitted to park/residential/commercial; no active development opportunities. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile11 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012
This site: -11% census-cbp · all sites with thisShrinking county
This site: -4.1% census-acs · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: Most of the area became a city (later borough) park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings serving mostly commercial functions. record · all sites with thisRegreened
This site: Most of the area became a city (later borough) park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings serving mostly commercial functions. record · all sites with thisReinhabited
This site: Most of the area became a city (later borough) park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings serving mostly commercial functions. record · all sites with thisCivic and government
This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisEntertainment and sports
This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisHousing
This site: Most of the area became a city (later borough) park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings serving mostly comm newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisOffice
This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisPark and open space
This site: Most of the area became a city (later borough) park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings ser newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisRetail (continued)
This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Retrofit builtnewtypes-extraction reported |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redeveloped · Regreened · ReinhabitedWikipedia no source |
| New uses | civic, entertainment, housing, office, park, retailWikipedia no source |
| What is there now | Most of the area became a city (later borough) park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings serving mostly commercial functions.newtypes-extraction reported |
| Retrofit year | 1951newtypes-extraction reported |
Site context
| Housing permits, Fairbanks North Star Borough (AK), 2024 | 8 units in 5+ unit buildings, 4 in 2–4, 6 single-family; 2023: 19 in 5+Census BPS |
|---|---|
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Fairview Manor apartment complex (0.8 km)computed |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 4,702 jobs in 250 establishments; average annual pay $45,850; employment location quotient 1.28; employment +2.6% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 31th income percentile as adults; 6.5% incarcerated at the 2010 count (173 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 11.9%; median family income $91,434; 154 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (PK-12); 6 public schools within 1 mile: Barnette Magnet School; Denali Elementary; Hunter Elementary; Lathrop High SchoolNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 442 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 99701, 2026-09 | median list price $272,413 (+0.1% on the year); 43 active listings; median 45 days on market; 23% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 271 establishments (-11%); 4,589 jobs (-4%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $314,310 (+5% 1 yr, +8% 5 yr); typical rent $1,839/mo (+5% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 15,852 vehicles a day on Airport Way (Fairbanks) (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 1,215 trucks; 39 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Weeks Field opened as Fairbanks' first airport in 1923, closing operations in 1951 when most moved to Fairbanks International Airport. The site was retrofitted in 1951 using 'redevelop, regreen, reinhabit' strategies. Most of the area became city park and residential zones, with surviving buildings now serving commercial purposes. The narrative confirms the site was previously Weeks Ball Park (a baseball field used as an impromptu landing strip).
Why. The retrofit was completed by 1951, making it a built example. Current use includes civic, entertainment, housing, office, park, and retail functions as noted in the record. Nearby, Fairview Manor apartment complex (0.8km away) is under construction. Housing market data shows median rent at $1,424, ZHVI at $314,310, and ZORI at $1,839 (2026 data). County population change is noted as '-4.1% 2018–23' but context for this is unknown. Traffic data shows Airport Way (4 lanes, 15,852 ADT) serves the area.
Where it stands. The site is fully retrofitted and integrated into Fairbanks' residential and park infrastructure. No current development opportunities are indicated in the record (opp_score: 0.0). The area's historical airport function is now secondary to its current mixed-use role.
For a planner
- Retrofit completed 1951
- Current use: park/residential/commercial
- Nearby apartment construction (0.8km)
- Median rent $1,424
- County population change unknown
For a developer
- No active development opportunities (retrofit complete)
- Housing market: ZHVI $314k, rent $1,424
- Traffic: Airport Way (4 lanes, 15k ADT)
What we do not know yet
- County population change (-4.1%) lacks context
- No current vacant parcels or development plans noted
- Peer examples (e.g., Stapleton Airport) are irrelevant to Fairbanks context
Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Stapleton International Airport, Denver, CO · Other · opened 1929; same strategy: redevelop
- F. W. Woolworth Building, Watertown, NY · Other · opened 1921; same strategy: reinhabit
- Sofia, New York City, NY · Other · opened 1930; same strategy: reinhabit
- Hatfield Aerodrome, Hatfield · Other · opened 1930; same strategy: redevelop, reinhabit
Elsewhere on the web
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- county shrank -4.1% 2018–23
- median rent $1,424
- housing in the record
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Opened | 1923newtypes-extraction |
|---|---|
| County | Fairbanks North Star Borough |
| Census division | 9 · Pacific |
| Notes | Draft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: Former Weeks Field airport in Fairbanks, Alaska, was redeveloped into a city park, residential areas, and some existing buildings were reinhabited for commercial use. |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Weeks Field was the first airport for Fairbanks, Alaska, existing from 1923 to 1951, when most operations were moved to Fairbanks International Airport. In later years, the term Weeks Field came to be known for neighborhoods of Fairbanks in the path and vicinity of the former airstrip. Most of the area became a city (later borough) park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings serving mostly commercial functions. Weeks Field was built in 1923 on the site of a baseball field named Weeks Ball Park, which had served as an impromptu landing strip for airplanes prior to the construction of the airport.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1923 Opened as an airport
- 1923 Opened
- 1950 Construction of Denali Elementary School signaled end of operations
- 1951 Control tower closed, most operations moved to Fairbanks International Airport
- 1951 Retrofit: redevelop, regreen, reinhabit
- 1977 Noel Wien Public Library built on a portion of the former airfield
Sources
- Weeks Field · CC BY-SA 4.0
5 quoted sentences
Weeks Field
Weeks Field was the first airport for Fairbanks, Alaska, existing from 1923 to 1951
The construction of Denali Elementary School, which began in 1950 near the western end of the runway, signaled the end of active operations for Weeks Field.
In 1951, the control tower for the field was closed, which burned down shortly afterward. Most operators had moved to the newly opened Fairbanks International Airport.