STATE HISTORIC TAX CREDITS

A state Historic Tax Credit program to complement and amplify the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Incentive program and further promote the rehabilitation of historic properties throughout Idaho. The Gem State has been left behind by the 39 other states that offer similar programs proven to revitalize communities and spur economic development.

SURVEY and DESIGNATION

Advocates for Idaho’s history cannot protect what they don’t know. The documentation and designation of the Gem State’s cultural heritage is critical to better understand and fight for the places that make our communities unique. Despite decades of efforts to record Idaho’s built environment, much of the state remains unsurveyed leaving innumerable historic resources at risk.

RURAL RESOURCES

A growing state, an increasingly urban population, and unchecked suburban sprawl threaten Idaho’s rural resources. These places, which have defined much of the state’s historic character, include farmsteads, small towns, and agricultural landscapes. State and federally managed lands and their associated infrastructure are also threatened.

MAIN STREETS

As with states across the nation, Idaho’s historic commercial districts face a multitude of 21st century challenges. From disinvestment and disuse to inflated development pressures, many factors place our state’s historic commercial places at risk. Main Street businesses like banks, theaters, and family retailers, which once proliferated, now struggle to compete against online competitors in communities they once shaped, leaving their associated commercial structures vulnerable to replacement and in need of a new use.

POST OFFICES

Idaho communities have a wealth of architecturally distinctive post offices, many from the post-war period. Despite their significant contribution to the built environment, we know little about these architectural assets because they remain largely undocumented. Furthermore, these local landmarks are subject to alteration by the U.S. Postal Service which inconsistently complies with federal laws regarding historic resources.

THEATERS

From the Bovill Opera House to the Egyptian Theater, Idaho possesses a wealth of historic movie and performance venues. Unfortunately, many of these resources remain dormant despite their proven track record nationwide as economic engines and cultural touchstones.

Preservation Idaho advocates for these local landmarks and works with statewide partners, owners, and communities to connect them with resources to assist their efforts to reopen and maintain historic theaters.

LOCAL LANDMARKS and HISTORIC DISTRICTS

Under Idaho state law, the only reliable mechanism to protect historic places is designation at the local level. Demolition, significant changes, and exterior alteration may only be reviewed and managed when cities and counties create local historic districts and designate individual properties. Local programs to protect important places in this way are implemented by only a dozen Idaho communities, leaving most of the state’s built environment vulnerable to insensitive modification.

IDAHO MODERN

Idaho Modern, founded in 2010, is a committee of Preservation Idaho that promotes the appreciation and awareness of mid-century, modernist, and recent past architecture and design in Idaho. The Advocacy Committee works closely with Idaho Modern to achieve this shared goal.

UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES

For too long the historic preservation movement failed to prioritize the places that tell the full story of American history. In recent years, preservationists have begun to make efforts to address this bias and call attention to places associated with underrepresented communities. Preservation Idaho will continue to collaborate with African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, Native Americans, women, LGBTQ, economically disadvantaged, and other communities across the state to advocate for these important Idaho places.

COURTHOUSES

Over the past decade, Idaho has seen a worrisome trend towards the demolition or inappropriate alteration of its historic county courthouses. Notable losses include the courthouses in Jefferson and Bear Lake counties with ongoing threats to others such as those in Gem and Nez Perce counties. While advocating for better outcomes, Preservation Idaho has awarded projects in Blaine and Washington counties that successfully updated their historic buildings while maintaining the architectural character which makes them so important.

SCHOOLS

For decades, Preservation Idaho has worked to focus attention on the importance of historic schools to their communities. Successes include the ongoing collaboration with the Boise School District, but many challenges remain. Schools represent not just an architectural statement, but a critical educational investment in historic neighborhoods that suffer when they are removed through closure or demolition.

TRANSPORTATION-RELATED RESOURCES

Transportation is a major theme in Idaho history. Efforts to connect this large and geographically diverse state have resulted in bridges, highways, railroads with their depots, and a wide variety of roadside architecture. As infrastructure ages and population growth stretches the utility of existing facilities, these important resources come under threat.