What was Boise like in the 1930s?
"Boise is physically attractive, but it is the trees and not the buildings that make it so." - Vardis Fisher
Now we know more, thanks to an unpublished guide book from the time that was just discovered. Vardis Fisher’s manuscript sat in storage for more than 80 years before Boise State University's Alessandro Meregaglia stumbled upon it in the Library of Congress this month.
Meregaglia told Idaho Matters about Vardis Fisher’s unrestrained critiques of Boise, particularly the city's architecture.
“As cities go,” Fisher’s book begins, “Boise is physically attractive, but it is the trees and not the buildings that make it so.”
Fisher skewered iconic downtown buildings, including some that are still standing: he thought the Idanha, the Hoff Building and the Idaho Capitol were all uninspiring.
When it comes to what the discovery of the manuscript means to the archivist, Meregaglia said that “there are countless untold stories that exist. They are just waiting to be found and brought to light by researchers.”
Now, Fisher's insights have been published in a new book. Rediscovered Books in downtown Boise is holding a special release party tonight at 7:00 p.m.
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