Boise lawyer TJ Jones built his Victorian house 125 years ago in the Central Addition neighborhood.
“In 1893 when Jones finished his house," says current owner and occupant Frank Eld, "there was an article in the Statesman that said ‘TJ Jones has finished his house in the Central Addition…and he has a very unusual china cabinet in the dining room.’ And this is it.”
Eld is reponsbile for saving and restoring the Jones House over the last two years. He’s also a retired historian with a background in carpentry.
“When you strip it all down and get the paint off of it, it really turns out beautiful.”
After a Boise construction company moved the rundown home about 10 blocks north to make way for a mid-rise apartment building in 2016, Eld got to work restoring the building. The Ada County Historic Preservation Council is presenting him with an award to honor his work Wednesday night.
But Eld did make some modern concessions, specifically one his wife insisted upon:
“We kept the spirit of the kitchen but she got new cabinets and a brand new stove and a brand new fridge,” he laughs.
But besides the modern kitchen, it feels like a true Victorian step-back-in time.
Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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