1520 W. State Street has been a home for many different types of businesses since the property was first created in 1951. The address has also changed, as the property used to be known as 1415 W. State Street instead. The current building is owned by CCFM LLC corporation. It has been remodeled many times since the building was constructed in the early 1970s, most recently in 2003.
The building is 75’ X 122’, and three stories tall, constructed mainly of wood, concrete, and steel. The main floor consists of a doctor’s office as well as a break room and office space. The top floor consists of a physical therapy office and other office space, and the basement is currently empty. There is an elevator that goes between all three floors, as well as a three story curved staircase that wraps around from the basement to the top floor.
The outside of the building, remains mostly similar to the way it was in the 1970s. It is rectangular shaped with tall windows that surround the perimeter. This boxy, post-modernistic shape is consistent with most buildings built in the 1970s. The building remained a grey color until it was stained a more neutral beige in 2003. That same year, an arch was added to the front to give it a more modern flare. An overhang was also built with columns, to give the building a more attractive facade. Throughout the last quarter of the 1900s, small adjustments were made to the internal structure of the building, including HVAC and additional safety requirements. In the early 2000s, asbestos was found in parts of the first floor of the building, and it had to be removed before the renovation could begin.
The city records of 1520 W. State Street began in the 1950s. On March 6, 1951, Thomas and Josephine Evans purchased the property for $10.00 from the Argosy Fund, a California based company. They opened a small mom and pop grocery store that was later sold for $1 in 1963 to Safeway Stores Inc. The Safeway store existed for three years however was unsuccessful most likely due to competition with Albertson’s. Then on August 17, 1966, the building was sold to Gordon and Rhoda Olsen, as long as they agreed not to use the property as a grocery store. The Olsen’s owned the property for five years, before selling it to the International King’s Table Inc. for $10.
The International King’s Table was part of a restaurant chain that was originally founded in Eugene, Oregon. Expanding throughout five northwest states in the 1960s, the chain soon consisted of 27 restaurants. The restaurant in Boise was popular among the locals, especially well-known for its buffet. However, the International King’s Table restaurant was not entirely successful during the four years that it existed. The building burned to the ground twice. Both of the fires began in the kitchen from unknown causes, and destroyed the restaurant. The International King’s Table rebuilt the restaurant after the first fire, and the restaurant was soon back in business again. However, after the second fire, the International King’s Table decided not to renew the contract and the restaurant went out of business.
The property was then sold in February of 1975 to Thomas and Elizabeth Zemlinka and Richard and Richard Mott. The Zemlinka’s and Mott’s were property investors and did not use the property for any known use for the five years that they owned it. Then in 1980, a deed sold the property to developers from the Idaho Power Company for only $35.
The Idaho Power Company was the longest owner of the property to date. The current three story building already existed when they bought it. However, many renovations of the building, and parking lot were held over then next twenty years. In 1984, Idaho Power began to add heating and air conditioning to their facility. Then in 1987, Idaho Power they hired another architect to demolish the first floor and rebuild it with more advanced heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC).
A fire escape was later added in 1995 as a safety precaution. However, this fire escape was removed sometime before 2001. When the building was observed in 2001, the basement was being used as a computer operator training facility, and the first and second floors were used as office space.
Then in 2003, the current company, CCFM LLC, bought the building from the Idaho Power Company. After safety inspections took place, renovations began. The outer structure remained basically the same, however the interior structure was completely redesigned, adding patient rooms, additional office space, and waiting rooms for both of the practices. Another renovation to the basement space will occur later this year.