Completed in 1905, this large, beige brick building was designed by Boise architects Tourtellotte and Company as the city's first library thanks to local donations and a matching grant from Andrew Carnegie. The Boise Public Library opened in the French Renaissance style building in 1905, ten years after it began as a subscription service. The library moved to another building in April 1973 and the former library was converted into office spaces. Legal offices vacated the building in 2017 and the structure has been vacant since then. There are no definite plans, but one idea was to convert the building into spaces for art studios. The Carnegie Library, Boise was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and also is part of the Fort Street Historic District.
Built in 1892 as a meeting place for a local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization of Union veterans of the Civil War, GAR Hall is on W. State St., northwest of the Idaho State Capitol building. The two-story brick building has a front gable with a sandstone block set into the brick below with the incised lettering "G. A. R." The building was designed to hold two large meeting halls, with one on each floor. GAR Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 for its significance in architecture and social history. The building was adapted into a photographic studio in the 1970s and has been leased as administrative offices by the University of Idaho since the early 2000s. GAR Hall is owned by its neighbor, St. Michael's Cathedral.
In 1871, one year after the 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote, Representative Joseph William Morgan proposed women’s suffrage for the first time in the Idaho territory. The proposal was defeated in a tie vote and similar proposals were defeated in 1885 and 1887. When Idaho requested statehood, they specifically excluded women’s suffrage from the new constitution, fearing that it would hinder the acceptance of statehood. When women’s suffrage was not included in the state constitution, the first suffrage organization formed in 1893. The Idaho Equal Suffrage Association organized in 1895 and a year later a constitutional amendment granted Idaho women full suffrage. Idaho ratified the 19th Amendment on February 11, 1920.
The Idaho State Capitol is a great example of Renaissance Revival architecture. It was built in two stages, in 1912 and 1920. From the first floor to the eagle atop the dome, the building rises 208 feet and the floor area of the building when completed was 201,720 square feet. There is over 50,000 square feet of artistically carved marble in the building. The eagle atop the dome stands at 5 feet 7 inches tall and is made of copper with bronze plating. In 1905, the Idaho legislature passed the bill authorizing the building's construction. The first stage took several years to complete but the second stage, during which the wings (House/Senate chambers) were constructed, took only one year. The original cost to construct the Capitol was $2.1 million. Replacement costs today would be over $100 million, with many materials considered irreplaceable.
Nestled in a district that contains some of the grandest buildings in the city, the Old Federal Building and US Post Office offers a glimpse into the optimism and pride of Boise's city boosters who constructed this building at the turn-of-the-century. The building also serves as an example of the Beaux Arts variation of the neoclassical architectural style. Preservationists have worked to restore the building, paying special attention to finishing details throughout the building such as the wrought iron gates and door frames, the terrazzo floor, and oak-paneled walls.
Completed in 1911, this five-story red brick building with terra cotta trim is the Idaho Building. The building's opening was celebrated in local newspapers who proclaimed this structure to be Boise's first skyscraper. Designed for one of Boise's leading real estate developers and former mayor, Walter E. Pierce, the building was owned by the family of L.H. Cox, a partner of Pierce, until the 1960s. As of 2023, the ground floor of the historic building houses Cupbop Korean Barbecue (278 N. 8th), Wild Root Cafe (276 N. 8th), Prost! German pub (274 N. 8th), and Tonic Hair and Skin Bar (707 Bannock). The upper floors now contain Idaho Building Apartments. The building was documented in 1980 by the Historic American Buildings Survey and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
This four-story stone-faced building was constructed in 1891 and was home to Boise City National Bank until the Great Depression when it joined many other financial institutions in closing its doors. The main entrance on N. 8th St., below a curved archway, features a stone tablet inscribed "BOISE CITY NATIONAL BANK." Since the bank's closure in 1932, several banks and a variety of other tenants have occupied the historic structure. The building was studied for the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1974 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Fork Restaurant currently occupies the ground floor along N. 8th St. of what has become the "805 Idaho" building; Alavita, an Italian restaurant, is in an Idaho St. space.
Constructed of brick and faced in stone from Tablerock quarries, this commercial structure features five stone arches on the second story and was completed in 1902. The building's construction occurred during a period of rapid growth for Boise, and in the decades that followed, this structure has held a number of businesses in its five sections, including a sausage factory, a dance studio, and a roller-skating rink. The Union Block was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1980 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for its distinctive architecture, along with the adjacent stone building at the corner, the Montandon (or Fidelity) Building (1908). Moon's Kitchen and Cafe is one of the tenants on the ground floor (712); another is a home decor retailer, Balsam Brands (718),
The Ada Theatre in downtown Boise, also known as the Egyptian Theatre, was once considered to be one of the most beautiful cinema houses in the United States. Built in 1927 as a stunning example of Egyptian-revival architecture, the Ada Theatre remains virtually unchanged, and it is the only Egyptian-revival building in the entire state of Idaho. Its design followed the national fascination toward Egyptology at the time, and it was built following the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. Nowadays, visitors to the Ada Theatre can discover a variety of shows, ranging from movie screenings to stand-up comedy to literature readings. Even among the Hollywood elite, the Theatre remains an icon for movie releases and other events. Due to its historic significance, especially that of the grand cinema and movie palace era in Boise, the Ada Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Constructed in 1925, this two-story building replaced a previous structure in this same spot that also held the flagship store of Alexander's, a men's clothing shop. The owner, Moses Alexander, also served two terms as mayor of Boise and two terms as the state's governor. The Alexander Building is the only surviving commercial building in Boise that is faced with white terra cotta. The Second Renaissance Revival style structure was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1980 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. D.L. Evans Bank now occupies much of the building.
This six-story building features with distinctive turreted corner towers was home to the Idanha Hotel from its opening in 1901 until the late 20th century. The French chateau style building was designed by Walter S. Campbell with the goal of being the small but growing city's leading hotel and "welcome mat" according to Dan Everhart of the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office. The downtown area was connected to the nation's rail network for the first time when a short line station was completed two blocks from this location. For the first five decades of the 20th century, the Idanha was at the center of political and social activity. This building took about a year to complete and its style was more typically used in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. The Idanha Hotel was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. As of 2023, the ground floor is home to Guru Donuts; an Indian restaurant called Bombay Grill; a cooking school; and Mullet Proof, a hair salon. In the basement is 10th Street Station, a bar. Since the 1999, the upper floors have been converted from 140 hotel rooms into fifty-two apartment units, the Idanha Hotel Apartments.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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Visit some of the buildings added to downtown Boise during a building boom near the turn of the twentieth century. Start at the Idanha Hotel and walk to historic stores, a theater, a bank, a place where Civil War veterans gathered, a Post Office, and the Idaho State Capitol. The north end of the walk takes you to the former Carnegie Library building.
