'TELEPHONE HILL - City and Borough of Juneau

AUGUSTUS BROWN HOUSE
The Augustus Brown House, a rectangular, It-story building, is found at 124
Dixon Street on the west side of Telephone Hill. Brown acquired the property,
an area of partial tidelands, in the late 1880s. Records state the land had
little or no value until 1901, when a buildin~ was listed on Lot 4.
Improvements recorded in 1913, however, substantially increased its value. By
1914 three houses stood on Brown's waterfront lots as shown on the Sanborn map.
Brown reportedly was on his way to the Klondike gold fields when he arrived
in Juneau, but readily became a permanent fixture in town. He· is remembered for
his "row of neat cottages on Willoughby.1I Stories indicate he lived off his
rental income and an estate allowance from ~ngland. When Brown died in 1949, he
left $30,000 for the construction of the indoor pool which bears his name today.
Brown retained possession of this site for 50 years. Between 1941 and 1943
three separate parties bought and sold the property. In the last 20 years the
title has changed hands many times. Southeastern Newspaper Corporation
currently owns the property.
From the street above, stairways lead to two entrances on ,the east facade.
The wood-frame, 33 tx23 t building has a steeply pitched, composition
shingle-covered gable roof and a cinder-block chimney on the ridgeline. Asphalt
composition siding on the exterior covers the original wood siding. The partial
basement has a stucco finish.
Fixed-sash windows with sidelites are located under the gable eaves on the
north and south facades. Two double-hung sash windows are located on the main
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