The Lower Main Street Commercial Historic District in Boise, Idaho, is a collection of 11 masonry buildings, originally 14 buildings, that were constructed 1897-1914 as Boise became a metropolitan community. Hannifin's Cigar Store is the oldest business in the district (1922), and it operates in the oldest building in the district (1897). The only building listed as an intrusion in the district is the Safari Motor Inn (1966), formerly the Hotel Grand (1914).
The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places November 28, 1980.
Inventory
Gem Block (1902); 1000, 1002 Main St. The Gem Block is a 2-story, Romanesque Revival structure that includes the Gem Building at the corner of 10th and Main Streets, owned by Sigmund Falk, and the adjoining Gibbons & Knight Building at 109 N 10th St., owned by Gibbons & Knight Harness Shop. Both buildings were designed by Tourtellotte & Co. and constructed in 1902, and the brick and sandstone facade presents the appearance that the structure is only one building. In 1902 the Gibbons & Knight Building was considered "in the rear of the Gem Block on tenth street." Sandstone for the buildings came from separate locations, however, and where the Gem Building used locally sourced, grey sandstone from nearby Table Rock, the Gibbons & Knight Building required stone from Tenino, Washington, as did the Noble Block on Main Street, also adjoining the Gem Block. Noble Block (1902); 1008 Main St. Designed by Tourtellotte & Co. and constructed of brick and sandstone to match the adjoining Gem Block, the Noble Block continues the 2-story, Romanesque Revival style popular at the beginning of the 20th century. The building was constructed for sheep farmer John Noble, and it became known as the Noble rooming house. Tiner Building (1910); 1010 Main St. The original, 2-story Tiner Building was constructed of pressed brick and sandstone in 1902 as commercial space for the Tootle, Wheeler & Motter Mercantile Co., later Wheeler-Motter Co., a chain of department stores based in St. Joseph, Missouri. The building burned in 1910, and a 4-story, Renaissance Revival Tiner Building, designed by Wayland & Fennell, was constructed on the site later that year. The new building housed the Boz Theater and the Manitou Hotel. Alice S. Tiner was an Idaho pioneer who invested in property along Main Street prior to her marriage to Isham L. Tiner, a former saloon keeper, grocer, and constable. Mrs. Tiner's new building was thought to provide "the handsomest entrance and lobby in the city." Alaska Building (1906); 1016 Main St. The original, 2-story Alaska Building was designed by Tourtellotte & Co. and constructed in 1906, and the design included an eventual 4-story building. Contractor Kent & Montgomery set a construction record in 1906, 23 days to complete the brick work, which included load bearing supports for the 1911 addition of two stories. Soon after construction, the second floor of the Alaska Building became the "Antlers" rooming house. John P. Tate, owner of the building, also owned the Angus Hotel building across the street. The Bazaar store, begun by Eugene Riley and J.A. Blake, rented commercial space in the building in 1906, later leasing all four stories by 1922. John P. Tate was an insurance salesman and real estate investor, and he helped to found Boise's Y.M.C.A. Beckwith Building (1897); 1024 Main St. The 1-story, brick and stone Beckwith Building was designed by John E. Tourtellotte. In 1902 owner H.H. Beckwith considered adding a second story, but the building was not expanded upward. Salmon Cigar Store occupied the corner commercial space, and Joseph Collins Printing Co. rented another part of the building. When Edmund Salmon died in 1922, his associate, John B. Hannifin, renamed the tobacco business the Hannifin Cigar Store. Henry Herbert Beckwith was a real estate dealer in Boise, although he may not have lived there. Beckwith Building Annex (1910); 110 N 11th St. H.H. Beckwith constructed a 1-story building adjoining the Beckwith Building (1897) in 1910. John P. Tate Additions (1904); 107, 109 N 11th St. Constructed on the former site of the Idaho Implement Company, the Tate Additions were retail enhancements that adjoined the Tate Building. The buildings were demolished after designation of the historic district. John P. Tate Building (1904); 1102 Main St. Constructed at the former Idaho Implement Company building, the Tate Building was designed by Wayland & Fennell and occupied the northeast corner of 11th and Main Streets. It contained two storefronts at street level and a rooming house on the second floor. The building was demolished after designation of the historic district, and John P.