Director

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.

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?

Stop Six: Capitol and Idaho

After the creation of Fort Boise on July 4, 1863, Boise City founders met at the home of Thomas Davis. (Davis would later donate the land that is Julia Davis Park).

There, on July 7, 1863, the founders platted the original ten blocks of the city.

Split evenly on each side of Main Street the original plat stretched from 5th to 10th, across modern-day Grove and Idaho Streets. This walking tour explores the history contained within the boundaries of the original plat, including what was lost and how the area has been transformed. 

This self-guided tour features 15 stops, each at an intersection. At each stop, you will explore multiple sites that exist, or once existed in and around that intersection.

PIONEER TENT &amp; AWNING BUILDING (NE Corner - Home to Jimmy John's)The Pioneer Tent &amp; Awning Company started in a wood-frame building at 516 Main Street in 1900. The first and largest business of its kind in Idaho, the company employed 20 people in 1912. They made tents, awnings, wagon covers, and more. This building, constructed in 1910, was originally planned to be four-stories. The last two floors were never built. The first floor was a salesroom, the second included the workroom (complete with industrial sewing machines) and offices. The rear portion of the second floor was divided into seven apartments. The business remained in this building until it closed in 1972.A.P. HOTALING BUILDING (Mid-way between Capitol Blvd. and 6th Street, North Side of Main)A.P. Hotaling was a wholesale liquor dealer. Saloons on Main Street had a back entrance into the female boarding houses, or bordellos, that were located in the back alley, known as “Levy’s Alley” THE IDAHO STATESMAN BUILDING (SW Corner - Home to The Brickyard)James S. Reynolds started The Idaho Statesman as a tri-weekly newspaper on July 26, 1864. The first office was a log building with a dirt floor on Main Street. This office was later replaced with a two-story wood frame building. It was demolished to make room for Boise’s current city hall.Reynolds sold the paper to Judge Milton Kelly in 1872. In 1888, it became a daily paper and was sold again.Calvin Cobb, who controlled most of the shares, would pass control of the paper onto his daughter Margaret Cobb Ailshie. The Cobb family published the paper for 70+ years.In 1909, Cobb hired architects Charles Wayland and James Fennell to design a new home for the paper. The newspaper operated out of this building until 1951, when they moved to a new location.TELEPHONE BUILDING (Next to the Statesman building - Home to the Amsterdam Lounge)Built at the site of the “Stone Jug” in 1899. One of the first buildings in Boise to be built from materials other than wood, the Stone Jug housed territorial executive offices from 1869-1886 while the Territorial Capitol was under construction.Architect William S. Campbell designed the Telephone building in the Romanesque style. The first telephone service in Idaho was in Haley. Boise got theirs by 1884. By 1899, Boiseans could make local and long-distance calls. MASONIC TEMPLE (Next to Telephone building - Home to Coa de Jima)The second Masonic Temple, this building was constructed in 1892. The building used to have an elaborate top. The building featured store fronts on the main floor, including J. D. M’Guire’s Undertaking Parlor. M’Guire was one of two undertakers and embalmers in Boise in the 1901.TURNVERIN BUILDING (SE Corner - Home to StrangeLove)Constructed in 1906, the Turnverein building was a social gathering place for Boise’s German population. Designed by Charles Hummel (on behalf of Tourtellotte &amp; Company), the building had an auditorium with balcony, a gym, and a parlor for ladies. Charles Hummel, a member of the Turnverein Society, oversaw the laying of the cornerstone.In 1916, anti-German sentiment forced the society to disband, and the building sold. The building has also been a restaurant, WWII Air Force office, and a variety of bars.

On the first stop of this tour, you will learn about the Pioneer Tent &amp; Awning building, A.P. Hotaling &amp; Co., the Idaho Statesman building, the telephone building, the Masonic Temple, and the Turnverein building.As you visit each stop on the tour, you will see how the landscape of Boise's original ten blocks have changed over 160 years.While the tour does not encompass all changes to the original ten blocks, it provides a summary of some of the most significant structures and businesses that shaped early Boise and helped to create the city you see today.When participating in this tour, please be mindful of traffic and obey all signals.

Stop One: 6th and Main

C.W. MOORE PARK (NE Corner)Moore was a Canadian who came to Idaho from Oregon in 1862. In 1867, he helped found Idaho First National Bank, the oldest bank in Idaho.Moore deeded two lots to the city for a children’s park and playground. The playground was constructed in the 1930s. In 1956, World War II barracks were relocated to the site. The barracks were used by the Idaho Crippled Children and Adults and the Boise Jaycees. The park was later rededicated in 1983.In the park today, you see remnants of many former Boise buildings. The turret is from the W.E. Pierce building, formerly across from the Idahna building. It was demolished in 1975. The arch was from the Bush building, at Capitol and Idaho Streets.BOISE STAGE STABLES (NW Corner - Now The Lucy)The Boise Stage Stable kept a corral, a carriage shed, a wagon shop and a granary at this site in the 1880s.In a 1949 interview, William Northrop reminisced about Grove Street, saying that “most of the old coaches were manufactured on this site and they were super deluxe size, carrying 17 passengers and pulled by six horses.”

On the second stop of Boise original 1863 plat tour, you will visit the intersection of 5th and Grove. Here you will learn about C. W. Moore Park and the Boise Stage Stables.As you look around C.W. Moore park, take a moment to imagine the streets and buildings that these remnants once belonged to. How does it make you feel to be surrounded by these pieces?

Stop Two: 5th and Grove

JELLISON BROS STONE (Now Murraki Salon, 510 Main Street)Various Jellison Brothers businesses occupied this block of Main Street, between 5th and Capitol, for decades. The Jellison Brothers (John, Charles, and Edward) first operated the Jellison Bros Stone and Construction Co., and later Jellison Bros Monuments. The brothers owned a sandstone quarry on Tablerock. They provided stone for construction projects, and later built monuments for cemeteries.Often at the center of controversies, the brothers refused to sell stone to contractors who hired laborers that belonged to unions. In 1906, the brothers sold their quarry to the Capitol Building Commission, who harvested stone there for the capitol building. They continued to work in the business and relocated to the building that is now the Murraki Salon, around 1917. (This building was constructed around 1915)BELGRAVIA APARTMENTS (SE Corner)Construction on these former apartments, originally known as the Dubois Flats, began in 1904. Pacific States Loan &amp; Building Association purchased it from a Sheriff’s auction in 1906. They hired local architects Wayland and Fennell, who completed the building. It was one of Boise’s first apartment complexes and featured amenities such as hot and cold water, gas and steam heat, and lights that could be powered by electricity or gas.Renamed the Belgravia Terraces, the building has walls two feet thick at the basement, and 18 inches thick at the top. Built from sandstone quarried from Tablerock, it could house 21-30 families. VELTEX STATION (NE Corner)The Veltex Station was constructed in the 1940s. Closed in 1991, the station was replaced by the current building in 2002. It is a combination of offices and condos. The original Veltex sign remains on the corner, and the new building carries the Veltex name.

On the third stop of the original Boise plat tour, you will visit the former location of Jellison Bros Stone, the Belgravia Apartments, and what was once the site of a Veltex Station.As you visit this intersection, think about what it would have been like to live at the Belgravia apartments. What would you see around you?

Stop Three: 5th and Main

CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD (NE Corner - Now St. Luke's)In 1918, the Catholic Bishop of Idaho Daniel Gorman purchased two residences on this site. Architects Tourtellotte and Hummel remodeled them into the Church of the Good Shepherd and accompanying rectory. On March 2, 1919, Father Bernardo Arregui dedicated it as the nation’s only Basque Chapel. The church held daily Masses, as well as baptisms, weddings, and funerals. It helped to reinforce a strong sense of community among Boise’s Basque.During the early 1920s, the American Catholic Church closed many ethnic parishes due to anti-immigrant sentiment in the country. In 1928, Bishop Edward Kelly converted building to his private chapel. This forced Basque Catholics to worship at St. John’s Cathedral (located at the corner of 8th and Hays)The rectory was torn down and replaced by a parking lot. The Diocese sold the building in 1989.CHANDLER BUILDING (NW Corner - Home to Flying M Coffee)Constructed before 1893, the Chandler building was once called the “Royal Lodging House.”It was reputably owned by the notorious Devis Levy, landlord of Boise’s red-light district. It remained a lodging house into the 1900s. By 1906, the first floor was converted into the Commercial Cream Company, and by the 1940s served as offices for the State of Idaho. STAR HOTEL (North Side of Idaho Street, between 5th and 6th Streets - Home to Boise Blinds)Constructed in the early 1890s, the Star Hotel became a boarding house in 1903, accommodating Basques. The Hotel had room for up to 30 boards at a time, and a fronton handball court. Reportedly, fire fighters from Central Addition would climb the Fronton court wall to sit on top and watch the games.

On the next stop in this walking tour, you will learn about the Church of the Good Shepherd, the Chandler building, and the Star Hotel.When you're looking around this intersection, you will see several buildings that have a relationship to Boise's Basque community. We recommend you check out other locations on Clio that explore the history of this community!

Stop Four: 5th and Idaho

CENTRAL FIRE STATION (NE Corner - Home to the Melting Pot)Designed by architect William S. Campbell, the Central Fire Station was constructed in 1903. It features stone arches and a bell tower. Before moving into this building, the Fire Department operated out of City Hall. The 1912 Sanborn Fire Insurance map lists the building as home to one chief, nineteen men, seventeen horses, one fire truck, a hose wagon, and a chemical wagon, among other equipment.The fire department left the building in 1980. CSHQA (successors of architects Campbell and Wayland) remodeled the building in 1985.EAGLES BUILDING (NW Corner - Home to Java)The Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) organized in 1901 with 64 members. The F.O.E. is a social and service organization. Businessman Jeremiah D. Jones purchased this lot in 1902 from the Idaho Brewing Company. After years of delays, the 3-story, red brick building (designed by Tourtellotte and Hummel) was completed in 1916.The F.O.E. purchased the building in 1917.IDAHO BREWING &amp; MALTING CO. (SW Corner - Now Boise City Hall)Beer played an important, and early role, in Boise. There were many saloons and breweries typical of a western town. This corner was once home to the Idaho Brewing &amp; malting Company, later called Bohemian Brewery. GIBSON FUNERAL HOME (South side of Idaho Street, about mid-way)Constructed in 1940, the Gibson Funeral home was an excellent example of Art Moderne style. It featured curved walls, glass block windows, and a flat roof. The structure went unaltered until its demolition in 2017 to make space for the Gibson Apartments.R.Z. JOHNSON APARTMENTS (SE Corner - Home to Ochos)Former Idaho Attorney General Richard Z. Johnson (1887-1890) hired James C. Paulsen to design apartments at this site. Paulsen designed the building in the same Flemish Romanesque style as Boise’s former City Hall (which we will talk about later).Johnson intended for the apartments to extend down the block, but an economic downturn in 1893 prevented their expansion.

On this stop of the tour, you will learn about the Central Fire Station, the Fraternal Order of Eagles building, the Idaho Brewing &amp; Malting Co., the Gibson Funeral Home, and the R. Z. Johnson apartments. If the restaurant inside the old Central Fire Station is open, go inside and ask to see the bell!

Stop Five: 6th and Idaho

BOISE CITY HALL (SE Corner - Now Main Market Place)James C. Paulsen designed the former Boise City Hall, incorporating the Rhenish Romanesque architectural style, along with red brick and local sandstone.Completed in 1893, the building was used as a backdrop for many photographs and community celebrations. After the city outgrew the building, it was demolished in 1953 for a one-story drug store. BOISE CITY NATIONAL BANK (SW Corner - Home to Fork restaurant)The Boise City National Bank was incorporated in 1886. In 1891, architect James King was commissioned to design this building. Finished with oak and bronze, the building had two vaults—one to house money and the other for important documents and papers. The fifteen-ton cash vault held a five-ton safe.The building originally had three floors. The first was the bank and the upper two floors housed the federal court, the federal marshal’s office, and the U.S. surveyor general. In 1913, Tourtellotte and Hummel remodeled the building, adding a fourth floor. The additions reinforced the Romanesque design, an extremely popular architectural style in Boise at that time.THE MODE (NW Corner - Home to The North Face)Architects Nisbet &amp; Paradice designed The Mode department building for the Mode department store, managed by Henry Falk. Opened in 1910, the building was declared, “Idaho’s Biggest, Boise’s Best Store.” The interior was destroyed by a fire in 1958, but reopened in 1959 after a remodel.FIDELITY BUILDING (NE Corner - Home to Bitter Creek Ale House)Originally called the Montandon building, this building was constructed to house the Anderson-Bloomquist department store. Designed by J.W. Smith, the store opened on January 15, 1909 and closed for good in 1927. In 1928, Fidelity Loan and Investment Company moved in and placed the “Fidelity” sign on the corner of the second floor.

On this stop, you will learn about one of Boise's former City Hall buildings, the Boise City National Bank, the Mode department store, and the Fidelity Building. This intersection is often part of the Boise Farmer's Market. While you're learning about the historic buildings nearby, reflect on what it means to use city streets in variety of ways--not just for driving, but for events. Why do you think it is important to have this ability?

Stop Seven: 8th and Idaho

PACIFIC HOTEL (NW Corner - Now Merrill Lynch building)The Pacific Hotel, constructed in 1893, replaced a Baptist Church on the Northwest Corner of 9th and Idaho. Originally called the Bancroft Hotel, the renamed the Pacific, the block came to be known as the “Beck Block” after owner Albert w. Beck served as the owner in the 1920s and 1930s.KRESS BUILDING (Next to the Pacific Hotel - Now Merrill Lynch building)The Kress building was constructed next to the Golden Rule store (now Athlos Academies) probably during the 1920s. Kress started his business in 1896, and his stores across the country became popular “five and dime” shops.Kress kept architects on staff, making his stores unique. According to The National Building Museum, Kress “envisioned his stores as works of public art that would contribute to the cityscape.”BROADBENT BUILDING (SE Corner - Home to Fancy Pants)Tourtellotte and Hummel designed this building for the Broadbent estate. Built in 1924, the structure was the result of an agreement between the estate and businessman Moses Alexander. Alexander traded land with the estate to build his store on the northeast corner of 9th and Main Streets, and the resulting building was part of the contract.McCARTY BUILDING (NE Corner - Home to Sarah's Bagel Café)Commissioned by prominent Boise business woman Martha McCarthy, this building was completed in 1909. Designed by architects Wayland and Fennell, it features a zig-zag cornice motif, an uncommon feature in Boise’s buildings. McCarty also platted an addition to the west of the original city plat.

You're halfway through the walking tour! On this stop, you will learn about the Pacific Hotel, the Kress building, the Broadbent building, and the McCarty building. The McCarty building is the only structure on this tour that was commissioned by a business woman. Why do you think there were not more structures built by women?

Stop Eight: 9th and Idaho

EMPIRE BUILDING (NW Corner - Home to Piece Unique Clothing Co.)Nisbet &amp; Paradice designed the Empire building to house the Kerr Hardware &amp; Implement Company. Announced in 1909 and started in 1910, the structure was completed in 1912. The first floor served as a retail space and the upper floors were for offices. FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING (Next to the Empire Building - Home to US Bank)The First National Bank of Idaho hired Portland architect A.E. Doyle to design this building in 1927. Doyle sent Pietro Belluschi as his representative to Idaho. Belluschi also helped to desigm the Golden Rule store on the northeast corner of 10th and Idaho Streets.RIALTO THEATER (Between Main and Idaho on west side of 10th Street)The Rialto Theater was next to the Gem Noble building on 10th Street. It operated into the 1960s. It was part of Boise’s rich theater history, which included other notable theaters like the Pinney. the Columbia (both formerly on Jefferson Street), and the Egyptian Theater (across from City Hall).C. C. ANDERSON BUILDING (NE Corner - Home to Athlos Academies)Architects Tourtellotte and Hummel, together with A. E. Doyle’s firm, designed this iteration of C. C. Anderson Golden Rule department store in 1927. The first Golden Rule was at 627 Main Street.In 1937, Allied Stores purchased the business from C.C. Anderson. They kept the original name until 1962, when it was changed to the Bon Marche. Originally Spanish Mission Revival style, with a red tile roof, the building lost its signature look in 1963.

On this stop of the tour, you will learn about the Empire building, the First National Bank Building, the Rialto Theater, and the C. C. Anderson building.

Stop Nine: 10th and Idaho

GEM AND NOBLE BLOCK (NW Corner - Home to Zen Bento)Architect John E. Tourtellotte originally designed the Gem and Noble block as three separate buildings. The Romanesque structures were constructed for businessmen Sigmund Falk, John Noble, James Gibbons, and Charles Knight in 1902.Businesses included a harness and livery shop, as well as one of Boise’s first pharmacies. In 1907, defense witnesses for the “Big Bill” Haywood trials (over the assassination of former Governor Frank Steunenberg) stayed in the Noble Rooming House.MERINO BUILDING (SW Corner - Now Kount building)Built around 1904, the Merino building was on the southwest corner of 10th and Main Streets. It was one of the signature turreted buildings located at the intersection. The building was destroyed after a fire on December 30, 1924.The building’s owner, Robert Noble (who also owned part of the Gem Noble block), was known as the Sheep King of Idaho. He was one of the wealthiest men in the state.With the Merino building demolished, the Robert Noble estate constructed a new $200,000 structure in 1927.IDANHA (NE Corner)This intersection once had a turreted building on each corner, now only the Idanha and Gem and Noble block remain.The Idanha Hotel opened January 1, 1901. It became known as one of the grandest hotels in Idaho. Designed by William S. Campbell in the French-Chateau style, the hotel all the modern conveniences: private telephones, an electric intercom, an Otis elevator, pharmacy, and soda fountain.The hotel was built to fill the need of people arriving on the train at the depot on 10th and Front. Over the years, the hotel has hosted many important guests, including attorney Clarence Darrow during the “Big Bill” Haywood trial.W.E. PIERCE BUILDING (SE Corner - now One Capitol Center)Businessman W. E. Pierce hired Tourtellotte and Co., to design his offices on the southeast corner. Pierce managed rentals, sales, and purchases of real estate in Boise.Constructed in 1902, the turreted building also served as a bank, the Union Pacific Stage Depot, and the Men’s Wardrobe store. It was demolished in 1975.

On stop ten of this walking tour, you will learn about an intersection that once had a turreted structure on every corner. The Gem and Noble Block, the Merino building, the Idanha, and the W. E. Pierce building all featured this exciting architectural feature.

Stop Ten: 10th and Main

HOTEL BRISTOL (SW Corner - Now parking lot)Nisbet &amp; Paradice designed the Hotel Bristol for Captain John Yates, who named the hotel for his hometown of Bristol, Maine. Completed in 1910, the Hotel had more than 100 rooms on four floors.In 1912, separate apartments were added on the first floor. The two and three-room homes included a bathroom, a kitchenette with a refrigerator, and a living room with a disappearing bed.Renamed the Milner Hotel in 1945, the structure was demolished in 1964.A.T. ELLIS BUILDINGS (North Side of Grove Street, between 10th and 9th)Alexander T. Ellis constructed his two side-by-side buildings on Grove Street in 1902 and 1903. The first held the Boise Creamery Company, with its second floor serving as lodging. The second building served as a blacksmith shop. The two buildings later became the Bird Hotel and the Del Rio Hotel. TRAIN DEPOT (At 10th and Front Streets)Before 1925, the rail line into Boise was a “stub line,” and the train had to be backed up into Boise from a Nampa. Boise’s second train depot was constructed in 1893 at 10th and Grove Streets. (The first, on the Boise Bench, was built in 1887.) The depot was made of sandstone and featured a cupola, a domelike structure, that resembled a Prussian helmet.After the Union Pacific Depot opened in 1925, the downtown depot served as an office space. It was demolished in 1947 for a freight station.

On the 11th stop of the walking tour, you will learn about an area of Boise impacted by railroad travel. You will read about the Hotel Bristol, the A.T. Ellis building and the downtown train depot. Can you imagine what Boise would have been like when railroad was the main form of travel?

Stop Eleven: 10th and Grove

GROVE STREETGrove Street was Boise’s earliest elegant residential street, and most popular area for the city’s prosperous citizens to build their mansions. But, by the 1890s, Warm Springs Avenue became the popular place to live. So, mansions were moved and new ones constructed.Today, Warm Springs retains its historic properties, while Grove Street looks nothing like it once did. All the old homes are gone. The waterwheels that once lined the canal that ran parallel with Grove Street on the north side are gone. The canal is covered.Grove Street from 10th to 5th is one of the most heavily affected streets from Boise’s urban renewal era. The historic character of the street has almost been completely obliterated with only the block between 5th and 6th Streets retaining historic properties.

At this stop in the tour, you will learn about the residential neighborhoods that once thrived here.

Stop Twelve: 9th and Grove

YATES BUILDING (SW Corner - Now patio area for KIN)Designed by Nisbet &amp; Paradice and constructed in 1909 for Captain John Yates. It served as an office space, bank and retail space, housing Alexander’s Clothing store before Moses Alexander constructed his own building across the street.When the Boise State Bank occupied the building, it had a signature corner entrance.ALEXANDER BUILDING (NE Corner)Moses Alexander, former mayor of Boise and first Jewish Governor of Idaho, built his clothing store here in 1924, opening it in 1925 to much fanfare. Alexander’s first store opened in the 1890s, where “everyone pays the same price for the same piece of clothing.” It proved popular, and Alexander opened six stores across Southwest Idaho and in Oregon.Designed by Tourtellotte and Hummel, the building features a white terra cotta veneer façade.OXFORD HOTEL (Next to Alexander building on Main Street - Now parking garage)Tourtellotte &amp; Co. designed the Oxford Hotel for William Jones in 1905. In 1910, Nisbet &amp; Paradice crafted two additional stores for the structure. Each room had disappearing beds, hot and cold water, and a telephone.In 1915, the Oxford and a few other hotels were temporarily closed due to having a “general reputation for being houses of prostitution, lewdness, assignation and other indecent acts… [the] premises were a moral nuisance.”SONNA BUILDING (NW Corner)Peter Sonna constructed the Sonna building in 1888. It housed a hardware business on the first floor, and the second floor was an opera house. The building had the popular large class windows on the ground floor, and roof decorations made of wrought iron.In 1891, and again in 1894, Sonna remodeled it to look more like a commercial building, eliminating the opera house. A modern brick façade was added in 1976.

At this top, you will learn about the Yates building, the Alexander building, the Oxford Hotel, and the Sonna building.You'll recall having read about Moses Alexander at other points in the tour. Can you recall some of the other buildings he was associated with? Alexander was also one of the founders of the Temple Beth Israel on the Boise Bench.

Stop Thirteen: 9th and Main

LEMP BLOCK/CAPITOL HOTEL (Between 8th and 9th Street, South side - Now Wells Fargo)John Lemp built the Capitol Hotel in 1881. It offered 120 rooms, hot and cold water in the bathrooms, electric lights, and service bells. He was also one of the first German settlers in Boise. Lemp opened a brewery, was a member of the Turnverein Society, served one year as mayor and twenty years on city council, and had real estate and mining interests. FIRST NATIONAL BANK (SW Corner - Now Costa Vida)The First National Bank Building of Idaho was constructed in 1901 as the new home for Idaho’s first bank. In a move to restore confidence during Boise’s bank crisis in August 1932, the First National Bank hung a sign that said, “If you want your money, come and get it.”The building was demolished in 1972 as part of a planned urban renewal project to build an enclosed shopping mall.PIONEER BUILDING (SE Corner - Now Main Street Station)The Pioneer building, constructed by Frank Coffin in 1894, took the place of an older building Coffing built in 1863-64. Before tearing the first building down, Coffin held a celebration for all the “pioneers” who had come to Boise before 1866. The celebration included a dinner of baked beans, cold ham, bread and butter and coffee.Later, the building was covered with aluminum skidding in an attempt to “update” the façade. This section of the street was known as Boise’s “Skid Row.” FALKS (NE Corner - Now Main Market Place)Falk’s Mercantile was built on the northeast corner in 1888, with an addition in 1896. Falk’s was founded by Nathan Falk, a Bavarian immigrant who came to Boise in 1866. Goods came to Falk’s via a pack train, and later by railroad. The store quickly became a major, and popular, supplier for the community in groceries, clothing, furnishings, and shoes.The Falk’s building remained a staple in the community until it was demolished in the 1970s.EASTMAN BUILDING (NW Corner - Now Zions Bank building)The Overland House, constructed in 1864, was a major gathering place for visitors and residents alike. Brothers Hosea and Benjamin Eastman worked together to supply water to the building, founding the “Artesian Water and Land Improvement Company.”The Overland Building replaced the Overland House after it was demolished in 1904. Designed by Tourtellotte &amp; Co., the new Renaissance Revival building had four floors. In 1910, an addition expanded the building to six.Renamed the Eastman Building in 1927, the structure fell into disrepair during urban renewal. A large fire destroyed the building in 1987.

At this stop in the walking tour, you will learning about the Lemp Block/Capitol Hotel, the First National Bank building, the Pioneer building, Falk's Mercantile, and the Eastman building. If you lived in Boise in the 1990s, you might recall that the empty lot that was once home to the Eastman building was commonly referred to as "the hole."

Stop Fourteen: 8th and Main

C.W. MOORE HOUSE (SW Corner - Now The Grove)Built in 1879 for C.W. Moore, the brick house had a mansard roof with iron cresting. It was one of the largest and most expensive houses in built in Idaho at the time. The Moores lived in the house until 1891 when they sold it to Captain Joseph Lamar, in order to build a mansion on the newly prestigious Warm Spring Avenue. In 1894, Mrs. Bradford purchased the home and turned it into a boarding house, where many residents were Basque sheepherders.The house was demolished in 1971 as part of an urban renewal project.THE GROVEBoise’s downtown core suffered greatly during the 1960s and 1970s from urban renewal, a program intended to modernize downtowns. The Boise Redevelopment Agency (B.R.A.) and the City developed a plan for an enclosed shopping mall that would revitalize the downtown. The site, where the Grove Plaza is today, would have consisted of four city blocks.In preparation for the project, blocks were razed. Many historic buildings were lost, including Boise’s Chinatown. The mall was never constructed.

On the last stop of Boise's original plat tour, you will learn about the C.W. Moore house and The Grove.

Boise's Original 1863 Plat Tour

Stop Six: Capitol and Idaho

Introduction

Backstory and Context

Sources