5 minute read
BOISE HISTORIC HOMES
Harrison Boulevard Masterpiece
BY KAREN DAY
Houses are like people—some you like and some you don't like—and once in a while there is one you love.
—L.M. Montgomery
On May 8th, 1891, President Benjamin Harrison climbed off a railcar at the one-room Boise Depot and boarded a horse-drawn carriage that processed down the dirt road leading to the Idaho Statehouse. The President tipped his hat at cheering Capital City crowds. So loud was the roar, it sounded as if all 4,026 residents had gathered in celebration. The Presidential visit immediately spurred optimism for the future of this isolated, frontier outpost. Especially inspired was an ambitious realtor named Walter E. Pierce. He envisioned subdivisions in the sagebrush and had recently landscaped a boulevard through the rural North End. Three weeks later, 17th street was officially renamed in the President’s honor. To this day, Harrison Boulevard remains a symbol of urban beauty, prosperity and social status.
For a nearly a century, presidents have settled along this stately street that paved over the once, well-trafficked Oregon Trail. Walter Pierce, one of Boise’s most successful developers, spent 20 years in a red brick mansion at 1201 Harrison. Prestige grew with time and addresses for J.R Simplot, Harry Morrison and F.W. Hewitt. On Harrison, houses were built to impress through the ages.
Today, once such home, a magnificent Queen Anne constructed in 1908, still stands out. As described in a 1909 article in the Idaho Statesman, “There are occasional houses…that are difficult to describe. Like certain types of beauty, they render mere words quite inadequate. Such a house is the handsome new residence of Harry Wyman, just completed on Harrison Boulevard.”
Harry and Anne Wyman spent two years and $40,000 building their dream home. ($1,200,000 today.) Wyman, a prominent lawyer, started the first power company in Boise. His affluence allowed extravagance, repeatedly tearing down and rebuilding to perfection. One can’t help but wonder how his architects, famed Tourtellotte & Co, designers of the Capital building, felt about Wyman’s profligacy.
1409 Harrison was the first in Boise with gas and electric lighting. This modernity allowed for a telephone intercom system, electric appliances and heaters called electroilers. A sunken pool on the terrace served as a “delightful atmospheric cooler.” Oregon fir and dark oak lined the walls and floors with plush, German velour wallpaper decorating bedrooms. The gardens flowered exotically. Mrs. Wyman favored a delicate pink and white blossoms on their Japanese rose hedge, after which she named their estate, “The Regosa.”
Harry Wyman died in the home he loved in 1934. The human history of the home continued to flourish after his passing. In the 40’s, the house was divided into apartments until the 70’s, when a popular appreciation for historic restoration began in Boise. With community commitment, Harrison Boulevard became a National Historic District and experienced a renaissance. In 1973, Richard Lashbrook and wife Francine, bought Wyman’s greying masterpiece.
Lashbrook was a dedicated, historical sleuth. He interviewed Wyman’s daughter to keep integrity with the past while remodeling. Future owners shared respect for the original craftsmanship and materials, updating with period-appropriate detail. Earlier this year, Massimo Medioli purchased the home.
“These stones,” Medioli says, pointing at the exterior of the house, “are the same as the Capitol Building. Sandstone from Table Rock.”
Sepia-toned photos of the 1909 interior are displayed in each room. The oak floors glisten in the photos then and today. In the library, the fireplace is a tour de force in artistry and craftsmanship. Astride each side of the hearth, two medieval knights sit atop horses, fashioned from pottery tiles designed by Willian Kellogg, one of early Seattle’s most famous artists. Above the fireplace, there’s a photo of Harry Wyman in his easy chair, warming at the same hearth. Clearly, the man and this home helped build the historical legacy of Harrison Boulevard.
