#10YearChallenge: Here’s how Boise has changed in the past decade
As the decade draws to a close, thousands of people are sharing their #10YearChallenge photos — a comparison of how they looked in 2009 and 2019.
The 2010s have been a period of serious growth for Boise and the Treasure Valley. We looked at some major Boise transformations from the past 10 years, from construction of Idaho’s tallest building to the completion of a beloved local park.
Here are some of our top #10YearChallenge picks from around Boise.
Downtown Boise from Capitol Boulevard
The Downtown Boise skyline illustrates the city’s rapid expansion since 2009. Perhaps one of the best vantage points is looking north up Capitol Boulevard. In 2009, the U.S. Bank building and the Statehouse were the focal points of the skyline. Today, the view is more crowded.
To the left of the U.S. Bank building, the Zions Bank building at 8th and Main towers above everything else. To the west, the Afton condos add an orange splash at the forefront of the skyline. To the east, Boise State’s red brick Micron Business and Economics building commands the view, with the newly completed Center for the Visual Arts tucked behind it.
Other additions include the Inn at 500 Capitol, the Residence Inn Boise and the Clearwater Building.
8th and Main
The empty space at 8th and Main streets was sometimes called “The Hole.” For nearly 30 years, it was a pit of dirt punctuated by rebar. The Eastman Building that once stood there was razed in 1987 after catching fire and burning for nearly two days. Officials already had planned to move the Eastman Building to make way for a mixed-use condominium project called the Boise Tower that began construction in 2001. That development fell apart in 2006 due to lack of funding — and so did the next one, thwarted by the mid-2000s economic downturn. By 2009, the empty area was bordered by fences covered in artwork.
Gardner Co. bought the property in 2012 and opened the Zions Bank building there in February 2014, with a mega grand-opening celebration and live concert by the Goo Goo Dolls. The building is now home to many businesses, including restaurants and offices. At 270 feet tall (not counting the 45-foot spire on top of the building), it is Idaho’s tallest structure.
Quinn’s Pond/Esther Simplot Park
By 2009, Quinn’s Pond had already vastly improved from the gravel pit it once was. The recreation area we know today really started to take shape in the early 2010s. Work began on what’s now the Boise Whitewater Park on the Boise River at the end of 2009.
In 2010, crews began removing gravel, concrete and other debris from what is now Esther Simplot Pond. After several years of setbacks, the park opened in 2016.
Satellite images from 2018 (the most recent available) show the new parking area, completed pond and extended Whitewater Park Boulevard into a thoroughfare between Main and State streets. You’ll also notice more structures along the western edge of the park, as development picks up in Garden City.
Idaho State Capitol rotunda
The Statehouse was under construction for much of 2008 and 2009 as part of a multimillion-dollar restoration of the Capitol building. Inside, plastic sheets dimmed the lights from the rotunda, and plywood closed off parts of the historic building.
This December, the rotunda was decorated with lights and wreaths for the holidays.
Jack’s Urban Meeting Place
The Simplot Family Foundation announced plans for Jack’s Urban Meeting Place, or JUMP, in May 2009 — a year after J.R. Simplot’s death. The idea was to create a building that offered something for everyone in the vacant space between Front and Myrtle and 9th and 11th streets. Next to JUMP, the global agribusiness company built its new headquarters.
It took some time for the project to move ahead, and it opened in 2016. Today it’s home to community events, classes and, of course, a giant slide.
That project also led the way for more development in that section of Downtown Boise, including a major development just west of JUMP that includes a hotel, office building and parking garage.
Brad Little
.jpg "little compare (1).jpg")
In January 2009, then-Gov. Butch Otter swore in Brad Little as his lieutenant governor. Little would hold that position for nearly a decade before winning the 2018 gubernatorial election to become Idaho’s 33rd governor.
In January 2019, Gov. Little was sworn in by Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Burdick. During both inaugurations, Little’s wife, Teresa, was by his side.
St. Luke’s downtown
The flagship campus of St. Luke’s Health System has expanded, shaping the area that surrounds its Downtown Boise hospital. Multiple historic homes in the area were moved to make room for the growing hospital campus, and officials even relocated a massive 105-year-old sequoia tree.
The most recent satellite image of the area, from 2018, shows the completed roundabout at Avenue B and Fort Street near Fort Boise Park. However, even more changed in 2019: St. Luke’s opened the new Idaho Elks Children’s Pavilion across the street from St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, and completed a skybridge to connect the two buildings.
Kellen Moore
.jpg "kellen compare (1).jpg")
Kellen Moore is perhaps the most beloved player in Boise State football history. As a sophomore in 2009, he led the Broncos to a perfect season.
This year, Moore debuted as an offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. He has earned serious accolades for the role.
Boise development
Satellite imagery from 2009 to 2018 (the most recent available) offers a bird’s-eye view of Boise adapting to an influx of new residents. New subdivisions have cropped up throughout the city and its suburbs. Take a look at West Boise, Southeast Boise and the Harris Ranch area to see some of the most striking differences.
Big stories
There’s a different president and a different Congress making headlines in Washington. Boise Mayor David Bieter who, in 2009, championed a streetcar for public transit, lost his seat this November to Lauren McLean. Idaho’s Latino population is larger than it was in 2009, and the Idaho Statesman has stepped up coverage of the community.
Some things don’t change — much
Not everything in Boise looks starkly different from 2009. This view of buildings on 8th and Idaho streets is mostly the same then and now — though the restaurants and shops inside have changed.
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 3:24 PM.
