On Wednesday, May 5 at 7:00 p.m., three staff members from the Idaho State Historical Society will give a presentation about the recent restoration of the Idaho State Capitol building in Boise. The presentation is free and open to the public at the Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 First Avenue.
The event will include a history of the statehouse building and its recent restoration by Idaho’s State Historian, Keith Petersen. Jody Ochoa, the Director of the Idaho State Historical Museum will talk about the artifacts found in the Statehouse building, and Tricia Canaday, Architectural Historian with the State Historic Preservation Office, will explain the architecture of the structure.
Originally established in Lewiston, the territorial capitol shortly moved to Boise. Territorial government met in a variety of rented structures until the 1880s when a new territorial capitol was constructed. In 1905 the legislature and the governor established a Capitol Building Commission to oversee construction of a new statehouse, which was completed in 1913, with wings added in 1921. Designed by Idaho’s most famous architectural firm, Tourtellotte and Hummel, the statehouse served Idaho’s needs for generations.
In 1998 Governor Phil Batt appointed a new Capitol Commission to oversee restoration and expansion of the statehouse to meet Idaho’s growing needs. On January 10, 2010, the people of Idaho gathered to celebrate the completion of the $120 million project. The reopening of “The People’s House” highlights this year’s Archaeology and Historic Preservation month, an annual statewide outreach program of the Idaho State Historical Society.
For additional information about the program, contact Keith Petersen at 208-882-1540 or keith.petersen@ishs.idaho.gov.
Visit the captiol building restoration site at http://www.capitolcommission.idaho.gov/restoration/