Key Bank of Alaska

The current building may have been com­pleted in 1982, but the history of the bank on this lot goes back to the early 1900s. It was here that “Square Sam” Bonnifield – a miner turned gambler turned banker who was given his nickname because he had been an honest gambler in Circle City – built the First Na­tional Bank of Fairbanks in 1905. Bought by Barnette in 1909 and subsequently run by his partner, R.C. Wood, the First National Bank of Fairbanks survived the 1911 banking fiasco that caused Barnette to flee from Fairbanks in the middle of the night. In 1952, First Na­tional Bank had a time and temperature sign installed that became one of the most photo­graphed signs in Fairbanks. First National was the oldest national bank in the state before becoming Key Bank of Alaska in 1989.