Stroll By Pocatello's Array of Historic Houses
Craftsman, Classical, Tudor, Queen Anne, Gothic Styles Offer Variety
Sep 7, 2009
For centuries, the Shoshone and Bannock people lived in the area where Pocatello, Idaho now stands. Lewis and Clark traversed the region in 1804 and a trading post was established nearby in the 1830s. However, it wasn’t until 1892 that -- due to it becoming a junction point of the Oregon Short Line and the Union and Northern Railroads -- Pocatello started developing into a city.
Pocatello Walking Tour Highlights 20 Houses
During the following years, the city’s new wealth was reflected in the homes built by its more affluent residents. A self-guided tour brochure, produced by Pocatello’s Old Town Neighborhood Association, highlights 20 houses, dating from that year to 1942.
Most of them are within a 14-block area bounded by N. Garfield and N. Hayes Avenues. Other houses along the route may derive from the same period, but are not included in the brochure. Most of the original owners were bankers, railroad officials, major business owners or men who owned logging/lumber companies.
Stanrod Mansion one of Most Impressive
One of the most spectacular houses is the Stanrod Mansion (648 N. Garfield). Built in 1897 and described as “Chateauesque with Queen Ann and other elements,' the mansion is truly a mélange of styles. Built of sandstone, its central parapet bears an “S” monogram. The home’s owner, Drew Stanrod, was a judge, businessman and banker. The mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The Stanrod Mansion is among the earliest structures featured on the tour. Others include the Higson House (1898; 455 N. Garfield). Though the home has been enlarged through the years, and its original entrance changed from Victorian to Classical Revival, several Victorian elements remain. The only church on the tour – St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (1897; 439 N. Hayes Street) – is the city’s only original church that still survives. Built of rusticated white sandstone, the open belfry is topped by an octagonal steeple with gilded cross.
Classical Revival, Colonial, Craftsman and Queen Ann Style Predominate
Pocatello’s mansions built in the period from 1900 to 1912 were almost all Classical Revival, Colonial Revival or Queen Ann style, but often contained elements that were added by the individual architects, such as the exaggerated scale of the columns at the Addy House (507 N. Garfield) built in 1900. The Italian Renaissance-style Fargo House, designed by Pocatello architect Frank H. Paradice, Jr. in 1923, features a tiled hip roof and full façade porch. However, the fluted columns at the entry are Classical Revival.
During the period from 1915 through 1927, a half dozen of the homes on the tour were built in the Craftsman style, sometimes incorporating variations such as Classical Revival-inspired pilasters and Colonial Revival leaded windows. The newest residences featured are the Shaw House (807 N. Hayes), a Tudor Revival with a steeply pitched front-gabled entrance and the traditional entry arch and another Tudor Revival, the Nichols House (506 N. Garfield), built in 1942 .
A self-guided tour map of the historical residential area, as well as those for the Old Town Historic District and East Side Downtown Historic District, is available at the Pocatello Old Town office (420 N. Main Street).
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