A Close Call

A Close Call. . In 1961, the US General Services Administration (GSA) considered this site for a new federal building. The public wanted to preserve the historic Assay Office and park-like grounds. Intervention by Idaho Senator Frank Church helped save the building. The GSA constructed the new building on a parcel at Fort Boise, instead. , The Assay Office survived, but many other buildings in Boise didn’t. Urban renewal was a mid-20th century federal program to clean up “blight.” Along with large road projects, it dramatically changed many communities. Nationwide, groups decried the loss of historic places., In response, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA). This law created programs aimed at preserving our nation’s heritage. The NHPA also created State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) to do the work., In the 21st century, urban renewal agencies better recognize the importance of historic buildings and neighborhoods to a community. Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC), Boise’s current-day redevelopment agency, partnered with the ISHS to realize the landscape improvement on this site., enhancing it as a public amenity., Timeline , From Time Immemorial - Indigenous People , 1869 - 1932 - US Treasury Department , 1932 - 1972 - US Forest Service , 1972 - present - Idaho State Historical Society