North Junior High Gymnasium Addition
Orchid: Contribution to Historic Preservation
Boise, Idaho
When constructed, the Art Deco North Junior High school was the first designated junior high in Boise. Construction, under the management of J.O. Jordan and Son, cost almost $290,000 and used local Boise sandstone in combination with over a million bricks manufactured around the region.
As part of the Boise Independent School District’s implementation of a 94 million dollar bond measure, the school was scheduled for a new gym. The original scope of the project was to place a new building in the existing playfield. To reduce the impact on the playfield and better integrate the project with the existing National Register-listed building, CTA Architects - the design team - proposed an alternative solution to the district’s needs with an addition to the existing gymnasium and a remodel of its basement.
An addition of 44 feet to the end of the existing gym was constructed with an excavation of the basement to provide additional space while maintaining the historic building’s proportions and materials. Extensive research was conducted to find a new brick that would be compatible with the existing structure. This attention to detail and historical and architectural compatibility is a testament to the design which implemented within a timeline and budget that the district had mandated for the original stand alone gymnasium. Preservation Idaho is proud to award the project an Orchid Award for Contribution to Historic Preservation.
