Many of the early homes were built with green lumber, which was cheap and abundant, but often twisted and gave over time, resulting in cold, drafty cabins. Winterization techniques, too, were often inefficient in Fairbanks, such as double-hung windows without storm panes, which is common in warmer states. Before 1950, commercial buildings often were insulated with sawdust, against current building codes. Many had additions added with inadequate foundations, or were built in areas subject to flooding. The result is that many of the historic buildings in Fairbanks have foundations that have settled.
Log buildings suffer the most from the sagging foundations.
Today, it is one of the few entire districts that still retains much of its early character. President Warren G. Harding , the first chief executive to visit the territory, addressed a crowd at Weeks Field, in celebration of the completion of the Alaska Railroad. It was to be decades later before another sitting president visited Alaska. Harding also spoke at the Masonic Temple on First Avenue, and allegedly ate dinner at the R.C. Wood home down the street. Weeks Field is gone now, replaced by the Arctic Bowl building and the Fairview Manor Apartments, but the temple and the Wood house remain, as well as assorted other historic buildings.