Last year Boise was host to a great symposium called Modernism in the Northwest. I was fortunate enough to be a part of this sold out event. Hopefully it will happen again so more people can take part. I’m going to sum it up here and tell you some of the highlights. In depth information and the actual slides from many of the lectures can be found on Preservation Idaho’s site.
First a paraphrased description from Preservation Idaho, one of the sponsors of the event….
These speakers, representing the public and private sectors, included the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Cultural and architectural resources constructed since World War II are not only proportionally greater in number than those constructed prior to WWII but are also unique in their design, construction, and materials. A broad range of topics were aimed at practitioners of architecture and architectural history as well as historic preservationists, cultural resource consultants, interior designers, planners and the general public.
The event focused on identifying and evaluating architectural resources that embody the distinctive characteristics of mid-century American architecture. Residential and commercial structures from 1945-1975 and their stylistic details were examined. Sessions allowed for dialogue on the seven aspects of integrity, the 50 year rule, and the nuances of formulating a compelling determination of significance. Additionally, an interactive bus tour gave attendees a chance to observe residential subdivisions, Arthur Troutner homes, and adaptive re-use projects.
Highlights also included a public lecture on Pietro Belluschi by Dr. Meredith Clausen at the Intermountain Gas Company headquarters; a lunch and learn lecture on Boise’s own Modernist architect, Arthur Troutner; and a Fabulous 50’s House Party on Friday night. This ticketed party was a benefit for Preservation Idaho and was held in the d.1951 foothills home of Jonathan and Amy Doebler.
Highlights for me included a lecture by Jonathan Reich on Art Troutner, a Boise icon as well as the bus tour where we visited a few Troutner homes right here in Boise. It was very interesting to hear the history and have my eyes opened up to the architecture all around our city that has period significance and often goes unnoticed. On our last stop we met Charles Hummel and he gave us a tour of his own home that he designed and built.
At the end of the Symposium there was a great party at the Doebler home which is a Troutner home from 1951 that sits in the Boise foothills. Here are some pictures of the Troutner home from Preservation Idaho’s site.
I also learned that Boise had one, and only one example of Googie architecture. A Boise Googie, how about that. I didn’t know what Googie was either but when you see it you know. Here is a quick description from Space Age City
Googie architecture was born of the post-WWII car-culture and thrived in the 1950s and 1960s. Bold angles, colorful signs, plate glass, sweeping cantilevered roofs and pop-culture imagery captured the attention of drivers on adjacent streets. Bowling alleys looked like Tomorrowland. Coffee shops looked like something in a Jetsons cartoon.
For decades, many “serious” architects decried Googie as frivolous or crass. But today we recognize how perfectly its form followed its function.
Even as the best historic examples are bulldozed, architects are rediscovering the importance and utility of Googie and are adopting it for their own designs.
Here is what Boise’s Googie would have looked like back in it’s day from Photographer Tim Putz. Do any Boiseans recognize it as the Japanese Steak House where Fairview crosses the Boise River? It’s a rare treasure that I never knew I was passing so frequently.
I’ll share more Boise Troutner home photos in the next post as well as Idaho’s only Pietro Belluschi building in downtown Boise.
