Belgravia Building | |
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![]() The Belgravia Building in 2019 | |
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Former names | DuBois Flats |
Alternative names | Belgravia Terraces |
General information | |
Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
Address | 110 S 5th St |
Town or city | Boise, Idaho |
Coordinates | 43°36′48″N116°12′01″W / 43.613470°N 116.200329°W Coordinates: 43°36′48″N116°12′01″W / 43.613470°N 116.200329°W |
Construction started | February, 1904 |
Opened | June 1906 |
Cost | $70,000 |
Technical details | |
Material | Boise sandstone, brick |
Design and construction | |
Architect | John S. Jellison (also contractor) |
Developer | Jesse K. DuBois |
The Belgravia Building in Boise, Idaho, is a 2-story, sandstone and brick structure designed and built by John S. Jellison as a set of apartments in the Romanesque Revival style in 1904. Originally known as DuBois Flats and later as Belgravia Terraces, the building was a subject of litigation shortly before its scheduled opening in September 1904, and legal disputes over payment of construction costs delayed the opening until June 1906.
The Belgravia Building was constructed on the site of the Wallace House, built in the 1860s and reportedly Boise's first 2-story house, at the corner of 5th and Main Streets. The house had been intended for William H. Wallace, Idaho's first territorial governor, but he may not have lived there. Territorial Secretary Edward J. Curtis purchased the house, and after 30 years he deeded the property to Dr. George DuBois. [1]
Dr. Jesse K. DuBois, brother of Senator Fred T. DuBois, began construction in 1904 of the DuBois Flats, one of the first apartment buildings in Boise. Designed and built by John S. Jellison, the sandstone and brick building included 21 large apartments with exposure of 140 feet on Main Street and 110 feet on 5th Street. The building also featured Boise's first galvanized iron roof. [2] As the building neared completion in September, 1904, Dr. DuBois became unable to pay his creditors, prompting lawsuits. The Idaho Statesman reported in November, 1905, that "litigation ensued over the failure to pay some of the bills in connection with the flats, and this, octopus-like, spread forth its tentacles until the ingenuity of almost every attorney at the Ada County bar had been drawn into the entangling meshes, as a representative of owner, contractor, laborer, material man, lien holder, mortgagee or other party in interest." [3] The Idaho Supreme Court ruled in the dispute, twice, and some creditors eventually received a portion of due payment. [4] [5]
The Pacific States Building & Loan Association had issued a $30,000 mortgage in 1904 to finance the building, but litigation had prevented the loan company from acquiring the property in a foreclosure. In February, 1906, the company paid $28,050 at auction for the building. The new owners increased the rentable space to 30 apartments, and the building opened in 1906 under the name, Belgravia Terraces, perhaps an allusion to the prestigious Belgravia District in London. When the building opened, it had accrued total costs of $70,000, more than twice the original mortgage amount. [6]
In 1976 architectural historian Arthur A. Hart referred to the building as the Belgravia Apartments in his nomination form designating sites along Main and Idaho Streets as part of the Boise Historic District. [7]
An apartment, or flat, is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building, generally on a single storey. There are many names for these overall buildings, see below. The housing tenure of apartments also varies considerably, from large-scale public housing, to owner occupancy within what is legally a condominium, to tenants renting from a private landlord.
John Everett Tourtellotte was a prominent western American architect, best known for his projects in Idaho. His work in Boise included the Idaho State Capitol, the Boise City National Bank, the Carnegie Library, and numerous other buildings for schools, universities, churches, and government institutions. From 1922 to 1930, he worked in Portland, Oregon.
The Boise Historic District in Boise, Idaho, includes late 19th century and early 20th century buildings constructed of brick, sandstone, or wood in an area roughly bounded by Capitol Boulevard, North 5th Street, West Main Street, and West Idaho Street. The district is located within an area known as Old Boise, and contributing properties were constructed 1879–1920.
The Carnegie Public Library , is a Neoclassical building designed by Tourtellotte & Co. and constructed in Boise, Idaho, in 1904–1905. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 1982 it was included as a contributing property in the Fort Street Historic District.
The Boise City National Bank building in Boise, Idaho, was designed by architect James King as a 3-story, Richardsonian Romanesque commercial structure, inspired by the Marshall Field's Wholesale Store in Chicago. Construction began in April, 1891, and the building was completed in 1892.
The West Warm Springs Historic District in Boise, Idaho, is a neighborhood of homes of some of Boise's prominent citizens of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Roughly bounded by W Main St, W Idaho St, N 1st St, and N 2nd St, the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and included 14 properties. Of these original resources, 11 remain in the district.
The Lower Main Street Commercial Historic District in Boise, Idaho, is a collection of 11 masonry buildings, originally 14 buildings, that were constructed 1897-1914 as Boise became a metropolitan community. Hannifin's Cigar Store is the oldest business in the district (1922), and it operates in the oldest building in the district (1897). The only building listed as an intrusion in the district is the Safari Motor Inn (1966), formerly the Hotel Grand (1914).
The Friedline Apartments in Boise, Idaho, is a Queen Anne style apartment building designed by Ross Cartee and constructed in 1902. The sandstone and brick building features a 3⁄4-round turret at the corner of W State and 14th Streets. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Idaho Building at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon, was a 2-story exhibition hall designed by James A. Fennell of the Boise architectural firm Wayland & Fennell. When the Idaho Building opened, journalist Blaine Phillips wrote, "The building is sublimely beautiful, the vivid colors which have been applied in perfect harmony with the surroundings, serving ably to accentuate the picturesqueness and uniqueness of the construction."
The State Street Historic District in Boise, Idaho, is a group of houses constructed between 1886 and 1940 along West Jefferson and State Streets, bounded by North 2nd and 3rd Streets. The houses represent a variety of architectural styles, and some were occupied by politicians and judges during the early 20th century. The historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The T.J. Jones Apartments in Boise, Idaho, is a 2-story, brick and stone building originally designed in 1904 by Tourtellotte & Co. and expanded in 1911 by Tourtellotte and Hummel. The structure features a prominent Queen Anne corner turret, but Renaissance Revival characteristics also were discovered in preparation for adding the building to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Boise Public Library is a public library system in Boise, Idaho, that includes a main library at 715 South Capitol Boulevard and four branch libraries within the city.
Longfellow School is a 2-story, brick and sandstone elementary school in Boise, Idaho, designed by Wayland & Fennell and completed in 1906. The Mission Revival building has been in operation as a school since opening, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Adolph Schreiber House is a 2-story, Neoclassical Revival house in Boise, Idaho designed by Tourtellotte & Hummel and constructed by contractor O.W. Allen in 1915. The design included a 10-room dwelling and a second-story apartment accessed from a side entrance. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982.
The Dr. James Davies House in Boise, Idaho, is a 2-story, shingled Colonial Revival house designed by Tourtellotte & Co. and constructed in 1904. The first floor is veneered in composite brick which may not be original to the house. The shingled upper story has flared walls at its base and small, shed roof decorations above side windows. Other prominent features include a gambrel roof that extends over a cross facade porch with stone pillars at its front corners. The right front portion of the roof at its curb is cut inward of the lateral ridgebeam to expose a small, second-floor balcony above a beveled side bay. A large, pedimented front gable includes an off center, mullioned spider web window.
The H.A. Schmelzel House in Boise, Idaho, is a 1 1⁄2-story bungalow designed by Tourtellotte & Co. and constructed in 1906. It features Colonial Revival details, including flared eaves and an offset porch. First floor walls are veneered with random course sandstone, and front and side gables are covered with square shingles. Square shingles also cover the outer porch walls. The house is considered the first example of a bungalow in the architectural thematic group of John E. Tourtellotte. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Marion Allsup House in Boise, Idaho, was a 1-story, 5-room cottage designed by Tourtellotte & Co. and constructed in 1901. The house featured Colonial Revival or Neoclassical details, including narrow shiplap siding, a cross facade porch, and a pyramid roof. The Allsup House was the least elaborate design of all surviving houses from the Tourtellotte thematic group. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. The Allsup House either was demolished or renovated after its nomination and listing on the NRHP, and the current 2-story house at the site retains no similarity to the modest 1901 design drawn by Tourtellotte & Co.
Harry K. Fritchman was a merchandise broker and warehouse owner in Boise, Idaho, USA, in the first half of the 20th century, and Fritchman served as mayor of Boise 1911-12.
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