Idaho Gives Starts Today!

Today is the first day of Idaho Gives!

We are accepting donations that support our education programs for this 2-week event. 

There are many ways to give this year that can help us meet our goal to raise $5,000. We are accepting monetary donations, as well as gift cards to Idaho businesses that can be used in later events. 

All forms of donations will be used to support two education programs, The Idaho Time Machine and the Idaho Architecture Project.

The Preservation Idaho Time Machine

The Preservation Idaho Time Machine is an educational tool created to assist educators in teaching Idaho history through interactive projects focused on architectural style, historical events, agriculture, building materials, economics, and geography.

We have been working hard over the last year to complete the design and production of The Preservation Idaho Time Machine and have received positive input on content and functionality from the two school districts to whom we have demonstrated it. Each toolbox costs approximately $2,500 to create and our ultimate goal is to see school districts all over the state have a Preservation Idaho Time Machine available for their classrooms!

Your donations will go toward the production of toolboxes. Not all school districts can afford "extra" programs even when they address unmet State curriculum requirements. Our Idaho Gives goal is to help offset some costs for Idaho schools who may need help with the purchase of the full Time Machine Toolbox. Preservation Idaho makes no money off these toolkits; they are to be offered as part of our advocacy and education work. School Districts who can afford them will pay only production costs with no markup by us.  Please help us fund this important program.

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The Idaho Architecture Project

The Idaho Architecture Project is an educational resource that is aimed at all ages and interests. This website catalogs a collection of history and photographs of Idaho buildings across the state and it is open for anyone to contribute a building to.

This online, wiki-styled program is intended to be used as an aid in research as well as an outlet for research. Our Education Committee is currently working on grants and donations to fund an update to the platform for this exceptional site to increase the usability and navigation of the page. Student work on the site promotes research, writing, photography, and technical knowledge.

Our goal is to see hundreds of more buildings listed on this site from all of Idaho's counties. With participation by students, historical societies, property owners, and any citizen who has a passion for history and architecture, we can make this permanent collection continue to grow.

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Thank you for your support of our mission to preserve Idaho's historic places through collaboration, education, and advocacy!

We would also love to hear from you about memories you have of an Idaho place and how historic places have had an impact on your life

Idaho Mountain Raffle

Our staff has worked tirelessly to collect some awesome items for our spectacular Idaho Mountain Winter Basket valued at around $1,000. Winners will be announced Feb. 23.

What you could win:

1. Bogus Basin Mountain Ski Adventures with tickets to Bogus Basin, Hot Chocolate, Kahlua, Chocolates, and a signed copy of Eve Chandler's Building Bogus Basin.

2. The Cows Are Coming Home - limited edition 3/3 - Jany Rae Seda - 24" x 24"

3. Ann Swanson Original Sampler Block Quilt - 69" x 78"

4. Boise with Mountains Beckoning - fine art digital print of Jany Rae Seda - cold press paper and archival ink

5. Idaho Romantic Evening with overnight stay at Idaho Springs Mountain Spa

Check out all the photos below to see what you have a chance of winning and click on any photo to get your tickets and enter to win.

Tickets are 1 for $5, 3 for $10, and 8 for $20.

All proceeds help fund Preservation Idaho's mission and programs.

Annual Membership Meeting February 6, 2020

Join us as we celebrate YOU, our members! Your support has made 2019 a busy and invigorating year full of challenges and growth. We hope you can join us for appetizers and beverages as we discuss our work from 2019, our goals for 2020, and connect with other like-minded Preservationists!

USBR Photo by Walter Lubken

This year we will also have a special tour of the Bureau of Reclamation Building given by Dan Everhart from the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office. This historic building was built in the fall of 1911 as the first permanent building to serve as the administrative headquarters for the Boise Irrigation Project of the United States Reclamation Service. The organization managed multiple federally-sponsored reclamation and irrigation projects including the Deer Flat Embankments, Deadwood Dam, and Minidoka Dam. In addition to being historically significant, this Craftsman-style building is architecturally significant and has remained largely unaltered since 1912.

Please RSVP by February 2nd so we can have a headcount for food and drink. You can RSVP by clicking the button below or by calling Kathleen at 208-424-5111.

Thank you for being a member and helping to protect Idaho's historic places.

Notice: If you get a message that you cannot register for this event, it means that your membership has expired and you will need to renew before you can register and RSVP.

If you have an Individual or Senior membership, this is a reminder that you can only RSVP for one person. While we would love to open the event to spouses and friends, it is a Member Event and the level of your membership determines how many tickets you can reserve/purchase for all our events. Thank you for your understanding

Boise City Council votes to move the National Register Listed Cabin

On November 27th, Boise City Council voted 4 to 2 to approve moving the cabin off of its original site. The final destination was not confirmed and will be voted on in January 2019. Both Preservation Idaho and The Cabin were invited to speak regarding our views on what should be done.

We were very disappointed at the outcome of the vote. We do appreciate that much time and discussion was devoted to the topic at the meeting, however, Council was unable to see the value of leaving the cabin where it was built and, instead, raising the elevation of the new library so that the desired connection to the river and greenbelt was attained. It is especially unfortunate given that the cost of raising the library was described as minor by the design team and that the cost savings of keeping the cabin on-site would have been over a million dollars that will be spent for moving and receiving-lot preparations. That money could have been spent on the new library and perhaps helped to ensure sufficient funding for the Event Space section and the new home of the Boise Arts & History Department.

There has been discussion that the National Register Listing may be preserved if the cabin is moved into Julia Davis Park, however, that will remain to be seen. The National Register Listed Historic Idaho State Forester's Building was constructed in 1940 as the home of the Idaho Forester’s Office. The building is currently home to The Cabin, a non-profit literary arts center leasing the City-owned property adjacent to the Library.

We will continue to work with interested parties to ensure that the cabin’s history and value to the city is not damaged or further diminished.