Boise leaders feared he would raze historic house. They stopped him. Now he plans this
A Boise landlord who once contemplated tearing down a historic home at 2nd and Main streets in downtown Boise plans to build a four-story building next door to house seven condominiums.
Bill Hon has submitted an application for a building permit for the “boutique” condos at 132 W. Main St.
They would be built on an empty lot next to the Alfred Eoff house at 140 W. Main. The Victorian home was built in 1899 and was designed by renowned Boise architects John E. Tourtellotte and Charles Hummel, who designed the Idaho Capitol, St. John’s Cathedral and Garfield School.
Hon, whose family has owned the property since 1931, plans to use profits from the condo project to rehabilitate the three-story house, which has been used as apartments since 1941. In a letter to the city, Hon estimates $80,000 to $100,000 is needed to “do what’s necessary to preserve the structure.”
Two years ago, Hon caused a stir after city officials said he planned to tear down the Eoff house and replace it with modern housing.
The Boise City Council responded by passing a temporary emergency ordinance to block the demolition and then enacting a permanent ordinance.
The permanent ordinance established a historic preservation district on the east side of downtown that protects 11 buildings, including the Eoff house. The ordinance restricts changes that interfere with significant architectural features.
Rent from the Eoff house apartments is not enough to finance improvements to the house, he wrote in a letter to the city, but revenue from the condos would allow him to fix it up “in a very short period of time.”
He said he would renovate the exterior, replace window air conditioners with a central air and heating system, repair the foundation, and replace rotting wood and broken glass.
“The final result to anyone driving or walking west to east on Main Street will be a beautiful historic renovated 140 Main St. and a classy new 132 Main St. (circa 1920s-1930s) condominium residence,” Hon wrote.
Hon said he wants the condo building “to be of very high quality using top notch building materials.”
“I have a personal interest in the quality of the final product, because I will be living there and it will carry the family name,” he said.
The Boise City Historic Preservation Commission has approved Hon’s request to build the condos.
The commission limited the height of the building to 44 feet, which is 6 inches higher than the Eoff house. Preservation Idaho complained that Hon’s original proposal for a 50-foot height was out of character for the neighborhood.
Hon did not immediately return a call for comment.
This story has been revised to correct the proposed condo building’s height to four stories.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
