Last summer, St. Luke’s Health System relocated a 100-foot-tall Sequoia tree from their campus in downtown Boise. This summer, they’re moving several historic houses.
The residence at the corner of Avenue B and Jefferson Street is several feet in the air, resting on the back of a truck. The one-time St. Luke’s construction office will embark on a one block journey south to its new location late Thursday night.
The office is one of several old residential and commercial properties in the vicinity of the downtown hospital being spared from the wrecking ball. St. Luke’s is also saving the Bishop Foote Guest House. It’ll be relocated next to the construction office at Avenue B and Bannock Street.
St. Luke’s says eight other properties of historical interest will get a reprieve. Several are already surrounded by fencing and show signs of excavation around the foundations. Private outfit Reclaimed Structures is leading the charge on moving the properties. The company says at least one of the structures will be relocated from the St. Luke’s neighborhood up to the Boise Bench.
Once the homes are relocated, Reclaimed Structures intends to restore the structures and put them up for sale.
Before drawing up a shortlist of properties to save, St. Luke’s consulted with several state and national preservation groups. Efforts to relocate the buildings will be ongoing throughout the fall.
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