The community now known as Kodiak was established in 1793 as Pavlovsk , and was the first permanent Russian settlement in North America , and served as its territorial capital until 1808 . This building was built in the first decade of the 19th century as a storage facility ( or " magazine " ) by the Russian American Company . When Alaska came under American control , the building was purchased by the Alaska Commercial Company , which continued the business operations previously engaged in by the Russians . In 1911 the building was sold to W. J. Erskine , who used the building as a private residence , constructing a new stone foundation for the building and enclosing its porch . He sold it in 1948 to a company which rented it out . After the 1964 Alaska earthquake and tsunami damaged the city , the building was acquired by a government redevelopment authority . Ownership was eventually transferred to the city , which leased it in 1967 to the Kodiak Historical Society . The society has since maintained the property , using it for office space and as a museum . The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962 , and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966
1964 Alaska earthquake
1964 Alaska earthquake
Baranov Museum