BOISE -- A development company with several Boise projects under its belt, including the remodel of the Owyhee Plaza Hotel, is at it again. This time, LocalConstruct has its sights set on what is known as Central Addition; an old neighborhood in the same area as the downtown Boise Winco.
Preservation Idaho tried to raise enough money to bid on two of these houses, but couldn't quite get there. Now developers LocalConstruct own the property.
Most of the houses in Boise's Central Addition were built by 1910, making them some of Idaho's oldest.
"It was a place of significance, both for the people that lived here and the people that worked here, as well as for its architecture, much of which has been lost at this point," said Dan Everhart. "What remains is a very small piece of what was originally a thriving neighborhood."
The once-prominent neighborhood has been largely replaced by parking lots. The Fowler House, built more than 100 years ago, belonged to a Boise jeweler. An Idaho Supreme Court Justice lived in the neighborhood as well.
Things have changed since the turn of the 20th century.
"With the emergence of downtown Boise as a strong market, it's just become more and more appealing as a place to build new construction," he said.
We called the developers at LocalConstruct, but they did not return our calls. Everhart said the developers said they plan to build a "mixed-use project."
"They don't want to see these houses demolished," he said. "[But] their plans don't allow them to be here."
The developers are giving the houses away for free to anyone who will pay to move them. Preservation Idaho needs money to help move the houses and someplace to put them before houses like these are no more. If you are interested in helping, contact Preservation Idaho.
"We will be a poorer community if we cannot point, in some way, to our history and to historic places and say, 'There's where Boise started, there's where Boise had a significant period of its history.' That will happen eventually and that's why we need to care," he said.
You might be wondering why there are so many more historic houses in areas like the North End, while these homes here are threatened. The North End falls in one of the City of Boise's designated historic districts.
About 20 years ago, there was a move to make this area a historic preservation district, but that was unsuccessful.
