Stop Six: Capitol and Idaho

Next stop on the tour! This time, you will learn about the Bush building, Adelmann building, the J. Gestal building, and the Union Block. As you continue to enjoy this walking tour, consider how many buildings are still around and how many are gone. Do you wish there were more historic buildings, or more modern ones? Do you think it is important for a city to have a mix of both?

BUSH BUILDING (SE Corner - Now Key Bank Building)

Thomas Hart, miner and later mayor of Boise, built Hart’s Exchange on the southeast corner of 7th and Idaho Streets in 1866. The Idaho legislature met there while the Territorial Capitol was under construction. Hart’s Exchanged burned. James Bush rebuilt on site and named the new building the Central Hotel. The property opened in August 1874.

ADELMANN BUILDING (NE Corner - Home to Capital City Event Center)

Designed by William S. Campbell, and constructed in 1902, this building was initially named the Wills-Adelmann block after German immigrants Fred Wills and Richard Adelmann. Adelmann had various mining and business pursuits, including a plumbing company and an automobile sales firm. Wills partnered in the mining claims, raised stock, and later opened a grocery store.

Fong’s Tea Garden, a popular Chinese restaurant, later occupied the building. That may have been when the turret was added. 

J. GESTAL BUILDING (NW Corner - Now Boise City Hall)

In the 1890s. Spanish immigrant Joseph Gestal constructed a building on the NW corner of 6th and Idaho Streets to house his restaurant. Gestal moved from his former location, on the corner of 8th and Idaho Streets, after that site was selected for Boise’s former City Hall. Gestal’s newer location at this corner featured a dining location on the first floor and lodging for family, guests, and boarders on the second. 

UNION BLOCK (North side of Idaho St., between Capitol Blvd. and 8th - Home to Moon's Kitchen Cafe)

Constructed in 1902 of brick and local sandstone, the Union Block was designed by John E. Tourtellotte. It was built through a cooperative effort between five Boise businessmen; Robert Noble, General John E. Green, Moses Alexander, James Lusk, and C. A. Clark.

The investors were supporters of the North in the Civil War, and though it was forty years after the end of the War, they named the building the “Union Block” to rebuke Boise’s Confederate sympathizers. 

Department of Planning & Development Services. Shaping Boise: A Selection of Boise's Landmark Buildings. City of Boise, 2010. https://www.cityofboise.org/media/7053/shaping-boise-landmarks.pdf. Accessed August 3, 2023.