“The Finest in the Territory”

“The Finest in the Territory”. . The Assay Office is Italianate, an architectural style popular in the US between 1840 and 1885. Inspired by Italian farmhouses and Renaissance palazzos – or palatial buildings – the style usually has many delicate decorative details. The building’s architects simplified the style to fit the frontier location and the use of Boise sandstone., In 1869, Congress gave $75,000 to build the Assay Office. Work began in June 1870, less than a decade after the city’s founding. The building was complete by July 1871 but didn't open until 1872 because of assaying equipment delivery delays. This stone building brought a sense of permanence to a frontier boomtown of mostly log and wood-frame buildings., Inset , Alfred B. Mullett was the Supervising Architect of the US Treasury Departmen in Washington, DC, and he oversaw the Assay Office project. His department was responsible for the design and construction of federal buildings across the country. , The building’s exterior design incorporates the seal of the US Treasury and a sexfoil, a six-petal flower, which is an ancient symbol for gold. Can you find these details on the building?, Timeline , From Time Immemorial - Indigenous People , 1869 - 1932 - US Treasury Department , 1932 - 1972 - US Forest Service , 1972 - present - Idaho State Historical Society