Boise Hole
| Area | Address | Building Status | Architectural Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown | 8th and Main St Boise, Idaho 83702 |
Public | Various |
This building (often called the "Phoenix Building" due to its constant reformations, fires and other construction conundrums) is located on the NorthWest corner of 8th and Main and, at the moment, would best be qualified as Negative Architecture as it currently sits as a hole in the ground. The land was first developed in 1865 as the Overland House or the Overland Hotel and was a rest and supply stop for people on their way to the gold rush in Idaho City (image 2, courtesy of The Idaho Historic Society). It was bought in 1904 by the Eastman family and was quickly torn down and rebuilt to match the changing pace of society. It zoomed up to a four-story building and gained the new name the Eastman Building (image 3-4, courtesy of The Idaho Historic Society). After adding two floors to the building and renaming it the Eastman Hotel a few years later the building did not last long. It burned to the ground, supposedly thanks to a few highschool teenagers that were having a party in the abandoned building. There is a picture of the building as it burned down in the Capital High School yearbook of 1987. Since then many proposed plans for the Boise Tower or Boise Place have been accepted but thanks to bankruptcy will never be created. The current hole is surrounded by a fence that is lined with wood planks painted by the local schools in the area...perhaps to give the feel of community involvement or maybe just to hide an ugly mass of construction wire and waste. Perhaps Boise is not destined to have a 400 ft tall tower, but just a hole. (Other images courtesy of The Idaho Statesman and BSU students.)
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User Comments
Boise Historical Society - Mar 02, 2012
The Hole will hopefully be granted landmark status preserving one of downtown's most enduring features. This year we celebrate 25 years of the Hole.
Danielle Hurd - Jan 27, 2012
Boise won't have to put up with this eyesore (the Boise Hole) much longer. You'll see!
nwilson - Dec 20, 2011
KBOI channel 2 news has video of the Eastman building fire, which took place on the morning of January 24th, 1987. They should be able to give you a dvd of the video. I have a DVD copy from them (9 minutes of video of the fire and cleanup). In the video you can also see the old Falk's Dept store (area is now Piper Pub).
-Thank you! BAP
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The BAP is an education project, not a commercial site. All pictures on this website were taken by BAP participants unless otherwise noted. Student research was compiled from interviews with building owners, architects, and/or occupants, with help from preservation experts in the community. We try our best to do quality research but we cannot guarantee the veracity of our oral and historical research. If you see an inaccuracy, please help us by emailing BAP advisor Doug StanWiens at info@boisearchitecture.org.
