Pocatello in Bannock County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Nearby Historic Buildings
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
1. Nearby Historic Buildings Marker
Northwest: Carlson (or Spaulding) Building, across Center Street, was built in 1919 in a Sullivanesque style. Its appearance has been altered by remodeling of the first-floor storefronts and removal of the original tin cornice.
The Pocatello High School Gym & Auditorium were added in 1938-39 as a depression era WPA project. Architect Frank Paradice, the person most responsible for designing Pocatellos downtown buildings, chose gold-brown brick with Art Deco terra cotta ornamentation to cover the original sandstone structure.
Northeast: Valentine Building, a Frank Paradice 1916 design in Neo-Classical Revival style, is distinguished by white glazed terra cotta exterior.
East: Federal Building, dating to 1916 in classic Federal style, housed the Post Office, District Court, Forest Service, Weather Bureau and other federal offices.
South: North Building, next to the Square, built in 1916 by Pocatello clothier George North. Constructed of cream-colored brick it has an attractive tin cornice.
West: Carnegie Library, one block over, built in 1907 with a $12,000 grant from steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It is an outstanding example of Palladian Villa Architecture.
this page online
Erected 1989 by Leadership Pocatello, Greater Pocatello Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Pocatello.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Carnegie Libraries, the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series lists.
Location. 42° 51.662′ N, 112° 27.102′ W. Marker is in Pocatello, Idaho, in Bannock County. It can be reached from the intersection of South Arthur Avenue and Center Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is located near the fountain in Simplot Square. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 155 South Arthur Avenue, Pocatello ID 83204, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Idaho’s Bear River Country. 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: The Bannock Hotel (here, next to this marker); Simplot (here, next to this marker); Pocatello Area Geology (a few steps from this marker); Pocatello History (a few steps from this marker); Railroad History (a few steps from this marker); American Indian Heritage (a few steps from this marker); The Great Bonneville Flood
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
2. Nearby Historic Buildings Marker
The marker is inscribed atop the concrete pedestal.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Pocatello High School Gym & Auditorium (Idaho State University).
(by Arlen Walker) Excerpt: Pocatello High School has changed many times since the original section of the present building was constructed in 1892. The building remained that way until December 16, 1914, when a fire broke out in the central section furnace chimney and gutted the center and north wings. Frank Paradice, an architect new to Pocatello at that time, was hired to design and remodel the existing south wing and stone shell of the rest into a new school.(Submitted on March 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)By 1939 over-crowding and threat of losing accreditation due to class-size overloads necessitated a solution. Thanks to the depression-era Project Works Administration, another renovation and additions expanded and changed the school once again. Frank Paradice was again selected for the job. New classroom wings were designed for each end of the building, the front faηade was removed and replaced with
architecture to match. Half of the block between W. Clark and W. Lander was purchased for a gym and auditorium in the same Italian Renaissance style. The back of the center section and the small gym were left in stone but were later bricked over to match the rest. An addition to the auditorium in 1968 and the new Gymnasium in 2005 gave the look that remains today.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 20243. Nearby Historic Buildings MarkerLooking south through Simplot Square. The marker is on the right side of the fountain.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
4. Carlson (Spaulding) Building
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
5. Pocatello High School Gym & Auditorium
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
6. Valentine Building
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
7. Pocatello Federal Building
National Register of Historic Places № 77000452.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Arthur A. Hart, 1/24/1977: The Pocatello Federal Building is a three-story rectangular brick structure with simplified classical details. Windows on the original main facade are arranged in a seven-bay front, with the main entry centered. Brick pilasters separate windows on the two top stories into these bays, extending from a decorative terra cotta Greek Key motif course above the ground floor to the terra cotta cornice above. The end walls are four bays deep with entrances in the street bays very similar to the main entrance. Pocatello's Federal Building has remained a significant local landmark for over sixty years, providing continuity from an early period when permanent structures replaced initial wooden buildings that were erected along the railway just before Idaho became a state in 1890.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Arthur A. Hart, 1/24/1977: The Pocatello Federal Building is a three-story rectangular brick structure with simplified classical details. Windows on the original main facade are arranged in a seven-bay front, with the main entry centered. Brick pilasters separate windows on the two top stories into these bays, extending from a decorative terra cotta Greek Key motif course above the ground floor to the terra cotta cornice above. The end walls are four bays deep with entrances in the street bays very similar to the main entrance. Pocatello's Federal Building has remained a significant local landmark for over sixty years, providing continuity from an early period when permanent structures replaced initial wooden buildings that were erected along the railway just before Idaho became a state in 1890.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
8. North Building
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024
9. Pocatello Carnegie Library
Credits. This page was last revised on March 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 259 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on March 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
