Built in 1898 this, three bedrooms, two bath room Queen Anne Style house is probably one of the oldest homes in Boise Idaho. It reflects the era of the 1870 to 1900- a gilded era. The house has asymmetric roof tops and rough edges, with small columns on the front pouch. It was remodeled in 2004 but the house was very well preserved and thus still has many of its original 1898 artifacts. The house looks like a doll house with intricate designs all over the house. The house, though, has a history deeply engraved into the history of the city.
The first owner of the house was Captain John C. Yates. Captain John C Yates was a Business man from Maine who played a big part in the growth and development of early business enterprises in Boise. He was one of the founders of the Yates and Corbus Live Stock Company. He continued to grow in business and became one of the founders of the Bank of Commerce of Boise, of which he was president for four years. In Idaho Captain Yates was considered an exemplary citizen and “the most esteemed and an honorable man there ever was”.
At the time Captain Yates had many estates and many houses, this being one of them, but this was the house that he lived in and at the time it was considered one of the most highly valued houses of the time. The design of the house is very fancy, for the lack of a better word it infers the wealth of the Yates family. Unlike most Queen Anne homes in Boise, though, this one has an intricate pattern at the bottom of the house that corresponds with the roofing.
This pattern makes it look as if the was a continuation of the roof from the top to the bottom. In front of the house are five wooden columns that are a signature part of Queen Anne Architecture. Inside the house still hangs the original candle chandelier. The original “cooks delight” stove is also still in the house, and also some of the original plates. The whole house is just beautifully preserved.
After the death of Captain Yates the house was rented out and moved from family to family. The current owner of the house is extremely proud to be on the list of the people who have lived in this extremely amazing and historically significant house. This spring she was able to find some amazing hundred years old utensils buried around the house, which may have been used by the Original Yates family. These include some bottles, and some plates. Apart from that there are original door knobs with simple but compelling designs that clearly show the originals family’s wealth.