ARCHWALKS
2026 ARCHWALKS walking tour series IS HERE!
We are bringing back an incredible lineup for the 2026 ArchWalks walking tour series, featuring five exclusive tours exploring Idaho’s architectural treasures.
Tours take place on the first Tuesday and last Thursday of each month, from May through September. 10 AM and 6:30 PM tours are available for each monthly tour series.
Member Benefit: Members get first access to season ticket packages. To secure your tickets for this exclusive series, consider becoming a member.
Want to be the first to know?
👉 Become a Member to get early access to tickets, or email us at kellie@preservationidaho.org to join the notification list.
INDIVIDUAL TOUR TICKET options
Can’t make the full ArchWalks series? No problem, individual tour tickets are available for each tour. Simply choose the dates and times that work best for you.
Tickets are $10 for Preservation Idaho members and $12 for non-members (taxes and credit card processing fees apply).
Member Discount: Members receive $2 off each ticket. To access your discounted rate, click “Login for Member Benefits” and sign in to your account before purchasing.
To reserve your tickets, use the highlighted links below for each tour series.
ArchWalks 2026 Series Lineup
may tour series: From Bronze to Block: Downtown Boise Seen through the idaho state seal
Presented by Jeffery Holley, MArH, Architectural Historian and Principal at preservation inc.
Full color version of state seal. Source: https://sos.idaho.gov/stateseal/
Missed the May tour, or want to share it with someone who did? Check out our interactive tour storymap!
may Tour Series | Available Tours:
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Join Jeffery for a walk that starts at the Idaho State Capitol and reads downtown Boise through the lens of the state seal. The loop stays within a few blocks, yet it crosses civic buildings, erased districts, engineered land, shaped park edges, and work routes that still guide the city today. Each stop shows how the seal’ s clean and balanced image hides conflict, labor, extraction, and loss. You see how stone, bronze, survey grids, canals, and lawns carry the same ideals set in the seal: order, claim, and control. The walk ends where it began, with the bronze seal under your feet, now seen as both monument to settler rule and memorial to the people and places missing from its calm scene.
Jeffery Holley, preservation inc., is an architectural historian who truly loves what he does, and it shows. With both undergraduate and graduate degrees in architectural history, Jeff brings a deep knowledge of the built environment along with hands-on experience in researching, documenting, and evaluating historic places. Whether he’s in the field or sharing stories on a tour, Jeff has a knack for bringing history to life in a way that’s engaging, insightful, and fun.
june tour series: Rose Garden Ramble at Caldwell's Luby Park
Presented by Barbara Perry Bauer, Historian and Founding Member of TAG Historical Research & Consulting
Postcard circa, 1959. TAG Historical Research and Consulting
june Tour Series | Available Tours:
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Join historian, Barbara Perry Bauer, for a stroll through the rose garden at Caldwell's Luby Park. Tucked into a quiet corner of the park this charming garden has deep roots in Caldwell's history and Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA). Designed by local civic volunteer Jess Gowen and built by community members, the garden reflects both local pride and New Deal history. Enjoy the colors and fragrance of the roses while learning the story behind this small but historic place.
Barbara is a principal and founding member of TAG Historical Research & Consulting. As a consulting historian, she has worked throughout Idaho on projects ranging from museum exhibits to nominations for the National Register of Historic Places. She is the author of South Boise Scrapbook: A Neighborhood History, Treasure Valley’s Electric Railway, and Legendary Locals of Boise (with Elizabeth Jacox). Barbara is passionate about history and shares her interest through lectures, walking tours, and bike tours and enjoys uncovering the hidden stories of Idaho's historic places.
JULY TOUR series: Highland Park Uncovered
Presented by Doug Stan, Preservation Idaho Board Member & Treasurer, Idaho Architecture Project Chair, and Teacher at Boise High School
july Tour Series | Available Tours:
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Highland Park, the name itself denotes middle-class success and easy living. How did the Progressive Era and the City Beautiful movement in American history impact the North End in Boise? You can see it in the beautiful variety of homes in the Highland Park Addition at the south end of 17th and 18th streets in the North End. Join local teacher and Preservation Idaho board member Doug Stan as we rediscover an overlooked part of local history.
Doug Stan is a Social Studies teacher at Boise High School and a graduate from Occidental College, where he took Professor Robert Winter’s L.A. Architecture. This course is the inspiration for the Idaho Architecture Project, and sought to introduce students to neighborhood architecture and architectural history. Doug is a Board Member, Treasurer and the Education Committee Chair for Preservation Idaho.
AUGUST TOUR series: A More Complete Story: Boise’s River Street
Presented by Emily Fritchman Mahaney, Local Historian & Boise State University History Department faculty member
August Tour Series | Available Tours:
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Join Boise State University professor Emily Fritchman Mahaney for an exploration of Boise’s historic River Street Neighborhood. For much of the twentieth century, this neighborhood was the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in Boise. A working-class section of the city, the neighborhood housed immigrants from all over the world as well as the majority of Boise’s Black residents. Learn more about the threats to this important history’s survival, efforts to protect it, and ways you can get involved.
Emily Fritchman Mahaney serves as a full-time faculty member of the Boise State University History Department. A fifth-generation Boisean, Fritchman Mahaney was raised in Southeast Boise’s Joseph Chitwood House - a vernacular Queen Anne - a few blocks from the Boise State campus. She is also a third-generation Boise State alumni. Her research interests focus on the legacy of the historic preservation movement and activism throughout Boise history. In addition to teaching and serving as the Department’s internship coordinator, her community involvement includes Preservation Idaho, the Old Idaho Penitentiary, Friends’ of the Bishops House, and the Egyptian Theatre.
September tour series: Into the Deep End: South Pool and Its Surroundings
Presented by Dan Everhart, Outreach Historian at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
September Tour Series | Available Tours:
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Join Dan Everhart, Outreach Historian at the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office, to tour the neighborhood centered on South Pool. Jump into that history while touring the pool’s exterior (the pool interior will not be available to explore) and learn about post-war Boise and its suburban expansion.
Dan Everhart is an architectural historian with a long history of working with Preservation Idaho and is currently the Outreach Historian at the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office. As a native Idahoan, Dan’s personal interests led him to research the unique architectural legacy of the state. He has invested countless hours as a volunteer for Preservation Idaho and understands the importance of educating people about the history of Idaho and the significance of preserving it.
Important Information About ArchWalks Tours
Tour Guides and Acknowledgments: Preservation Idaho volunteers, who are experts in their fields, have carefully curated and will lead the ArchWalks tours. Special thanks to Barbara Perry Bauer, Dan Everhart, Jeffery Holley, Emily Fritchman Mahaney, and Doug Stan for their efforts in orchestrating these tours, and to our dedicated volunteers Jessica Alvarado, Lynn Thayer, and Carolyn Wolfe, and Rosemary Zimbelman for their contributions.
Member Benefit Notifications: Members received an advanced notification email to purchase season ticket packages. If you did not receive this email, please contact us at kellie@preservationidaho.org.
Pricing:
Season Packages: Season ticket packages for all five ArchWalks (each month, from May through September) are available for $50. The member promo code for this discount is automatically applied through the provided links during checkout. Credit card processing fees and taxes apply.
Tour Tickets: Individual tour tickets are available at $10.00 for Preservation Idaho members and $12.00 for non-members. Members looking to use the $2 discount can click LOGIN FOR MEMBER BENEFITS to access and purchase through their online membership account. Credit card processing fees and taxes apply.
Payment Methods: Credit card processing fees apply at checkout for all payments made by credit card. To avoid these fees, you may pay by check by mailing it to Preservation Idaho PO Box 1495, Boise, ID 83701. Please specify which walking tour package or individual tour tickets you are purchasing. Taxes apply at checkout for all tours.
Pre-Tour Communication: Email reminders, including meeting location, parking information, and other tour details will be sent at least 48 hours before each walking tour. Ensure your email address on file is up-to-date.
Tour Conditions: All tours are held outdoors and will proceed regardless of weather. Please dress appropriately.
Ticket Transferability: Tickets are transferable and can be shared with family and friends.
Need to switch tour dates?: Tour date changes are typically subject to availability. Our tours often sell out, but occasionally spots open up when guests cancel. If that happens, we're happy to accommodate date changes whenever possible - just reach out and we'll do our best to help!
Tour Restrictions: Please note that ArchWalks tours do not include entry into private homes.
Duration: Tours typically last around one hour and 15 minutes, though some may extend beyond that.
Phone Purchases: If you prefer to purchase season ticket packages or individual tickets over the phone, please call us at (208) 424-5111. Taxes apply at checkout for all tours.
Assistance Needed?: If you encounter any issues or have questions, please reach out to us at kellie@preservationidaho.org.
DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS ENJOYABLE AND EDUCATIONAL walking TOUR SERIES.
Want to be the first to know?
👉 Become a Member to get early access to tickets, or email us at kellie@preservationidaho.org to join the notification list.
ArchWalks Season Ticket Package Options
Experience the full ArchWalks series with a convenient season ticket package. Choose a schedule that works for you and join us each month from May through September for five uniquely guided walking tours.
Select your preferred day (first Tuesday or the last Thursday of each month) and your tour time (10:00 AM or 6:30 PM). Your selection will apply to all five tours in the series. If you’re unable to attend the full series, individual tour tickets are also available - see below.
Select one season ticket package per person using the links below to reserve your season tickets for the 2026 ArchWalks season:
Season ticket packages for all five ArchWalks are available for $50, with the member discounted rate automatically applied at checkout (taxes and processing fees apply).
Member Early Access: Season ticket packages are released first to members. Consider becoming a member to secure your spot in this popular series.