Historic Boise: Warm Springs Historic District and the East End











Intro:







Here are a few photos I took today from a nice relaxing bike ride along Warm Springs Avenue, the East End and I also have included a few blocks of East downtown. I missed the Preservation Idaho tour yesterday of Warm Springs because I was at Pine Flats hot springs, so this morning I made up for it on my own, just me and my camera and my mountain bike.

In some of the photos it was a bit difficult to get a perfect photo of the house because of the jungle of foilage and trees.



Here is a little history about the historic district I found at the Preservation Idaho website:

http://www.preservationidaho.org/pro...ehomes05.shtml

Warm Springs Avenue began as a dirt wagon track to Kelly’s Hot Springs East of Boise. In 1890, the first hot water well was drilled just west of the Idaho State Penitentiary. The geothermal well was the beginning of Warm Springs Avenue and part of the pioneer exploration into geothermal water resources. A full-scale development using the hot water springs opened for business in 1892 – the Natatorium. Options for travelers included a streetcar line that tied Warm Springs Avenue with the growing City of Boise. The upscale fashion of residences on Warm Springs came into full swing by 1891, taking the spotlight from the popular Grove Street neighborhood. With the development of the geothermal water resources, many of the homes were originally heated by the well and pipe system put into place. This system is still operating today both along Warm Springs Avenue and in downtown Boise. The development of the natural geothermal system was the first of its kind, and was used during the industrial revolution in the United States as a new commodity.







And more interesting info:

http://www.energy.idaho.gov/renewabl..._heating.shtml



Boise Warm Springs Water District

The Boise area is unique with respect to geothermal district heating. The Boise Warm Springs Water District was the first district heating system in the United States. It has been in operation since 1892. Currently, the system is used to heat over 200 homes along Warm Springs Avenue. The average annual production between 1997 and 2000 was 209 million gallons. The supply temperature of the water is about 175 degrees Fahrenheit. The spent water either goes to the Boise River, or infiltrates into the ground through leaking ditches.



















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































A little bit of the East End



























































































































































































































































































East Downtown area































































































































































































































































The Alexander Mansion. Moses Alexander served two terms as Boise mayor, elected in 1897 and was the nations first elected Jewish state governor and served two terms as governor of Idaho elected in 1914.







































































































Fall usually takes her sweet time to put on the show of colors in the Boise Valley so watch out for a city photo thread towards the end of October. Intro:Here are a few photos I took today from a nice relaxing bike ride along Warm Springs Avenue, the East End and I also have included a few blocks of East downtown. I missed the Preservation Idaho tour yesterday of Warm Springs because I was at Pine Flats hot springs, so this morning I made up for it on my own, just me and my camera and my mountain bike.In some of the photos it was a bit difficult to get a perfect photo of the house because of the jungle of foilage and trees.Here is a little history about the historic district I found at the Preservation Idaho website:And more interesting info:The Alexander Mansion. Moses Alexander served two terms as Boise mayor, elected in 1897 and was the nations first elected Jewish state governor and served two terms as governor of Idaho elected in 1914.Fall usually takes her sweet time to put on the show of colors in the Boise Valley so watch out for a city photo thread towards the end of October. __________________

🌲 Keep Idaho Green 🌲

There is a River whose streams make glad the city of Love. Along that River is the Tree of heaven.

David Paul Kirkpatrick Last edited by Sawtooth; Oct 13, 2009 at 2:47 AM .