Downtown in Boise in Ada County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
The Idaho Building
1910
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 27, 2023
1. The Idaho Building Marker
National Register of Historic Places
December 8, 1978
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 43° 37.013′ N, 116° 12.13′ W. Marker is in Boise, Idaho, in Ada County. It is in Downtown. It is on North 8th Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 280 N 8th St, Boise ID 83702, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Idaho’s Snake River Plain. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Federal Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Abraham Lincoln and Idaho (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lumberjack to Statesman (about 500 feet away); Frank Steunenberg (about 500 feet away); Central Idaho Wilderness Act (about 500 feet away); Sawtooth National Recreation Area (about 500 feet away); Hells Canyon (about 500 feet away); Snake River Birds of Prey Area (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boise.
Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.
Statement of Significance: The Idaho building is architecturally significant as a good example of the second Renaissance(Submitted on February 27, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)Revival style applied to a commercial building. The building, described by the Statesman as Boise's "first skyscraper," marked the beginning of a new era in the architectural development of downtown Boise, and several other six-story buildings quickly followed (most notably the Eastman/Overland building and the Empire building.) Erected in an era of prosperity the building symbolized the urban aspirations of Boise as the newspapers carried many allusions to the city's becoming another Chicago. This structure was built for developer Walter E. Pierce, a major real estate figure in turn of the century Boise. This is the grandest of several commercial buildings constructed for him. The architects, Tourtellotte and Company, were the foremost architectural firm of the period in Boise. This is one of their more ambitious commercial endeavors, and typical of their handling of the Second Renaissance Revival.
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Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 27, 2023
2. The Idaho Building Marker
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 27, 2023
3. The Idaho Building (1910)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 27, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 131 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 27, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
