The Idaho State Capitol in downtown Boise is one of the nicest State Capitols in the USA and deserves about an hour of your time when you visit Boise, Idaho.
Ken and I went to the Idaho State House on August 5. We parked on the 8th Street side of the State House. On the 8th Street side, there is a bed of geraniums in the shape of the State of Idaho. After taking photos and admiring the artistry and beauty of the geraniums, Ken and I went to the Capital Boulevard side of the State House, where the main entrance is.
Construction of the Idaho State Capitol Building began at the beginning of the 20th Century. It was ready for business in January 1913 when Governor John M. Haines became governor of Idaho, and he was the first to be inaugurated in the new Capitol. Built from marble from the USA and Europe, the Idaho State House was built in the same design as the Capitol in Washington, DC.
Ken and I went across the street to take photos of the State House. There is a statue of Governor Frank Steuenberg, who was assassinated at his Caldwell home on December 30, 1905 by a disgruntled miner named Frank Orchard. It is the best place to get a good photo of the State House.
After taking pictures of the exterior of the Idaho State House, Ken and I went inside to admire the architecture and some of the gifts that have been given to the state of Idaho in the past 113 years. There is a replica of the Winged Victory (Nike) that was given to Idaho by France in 1949 as a thank you for Idaho''s contribution of goods on the Merci Train that went to France from the USA after World War II. There is also a gold plated statue of George Washington that was sculpted by an Austrian immigrant to Idaho in the 19th Century that shouldn''t be missed.
One must go down to the bottom floor of the Idaho State House and look up the rotunda to the roof and see the blue sky and stars painted on the rotunda''s top. It is dizzying for some, but beautiful.
On January 1, 1992, the Idaho State Capitol burned down, and it underwent years of rebuilding and reconstruction. It is now open to the public and looks like the fire never happened.
The Idaho State House is open daily for visitors, but you cannot tour the House and Senate when they are in session on the 3rd and 4th floors. At Christmas time, the State House is decorated with a huge Christmas tree at the Capital Boulevard entrance, and inside there is a beautiful pointsettia Christmas tree that goes about 2 stories high. The best time to see the State House at Christmas is at night when it is lit up and in its glory. Admission to the State House is free.