Property Type: Residential
Neighborhood: West End  |  County: Ada  |  Building Status: Private  |  Architectural Style: Victorian
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In 1942, this old Bungalow house was built from a Sear’s body kit. Before the 1950’s there were many houses that were mail ordered from various stores like Sear’s. These home kits were very popular in the olden days. When it was built, it was extremely small. It was only fourteen hundred square feet. Seven hundred of it was in the unfinished basement, so only the other seven hundred square feet were in the upstairs. It was remodeled in 1975 by two brothers to add an expansion to the house. An extra three car garage was added separate from the house as a working space for the owner. The house was featured on several magazine covers when it was rebuilt, including Remodeling Magazine and other various magazines. In 1980’s, the house was remodeled again by expanding and furnishing the sides and the ceiling of the house. A cylinder shaped expansion was added to the kitchen, giving the house a more Victorian feel. The house has gone through three major remodels and has tripled its size. It has gone from the original seven hundred square feet of livable space to thirty-seven hundred square feet of livable space today. As the decades have passed, the value of the simple Bungalow has grown. Even in the state the economy is in today, these houses are considered antiques and people would pay a fortune to have the experience of living in a historical icon. It started as a small, cheap Bungalow and has transformed into a large, rich Victorian.

The Victorian’s style has had a strong footprint in architectural history. These houses are very intricate with many layers with different styles, colors, and materials. Many of these houses are large in size with large windows and sometimes tower-like features. These houses are usually A-symmetrical. The door is the centerpiece and then each side matches with the other, including pillars, gutters, and even gardens. Many of the people living during this time considered the first impression of the house to be the most important. For this reason, many Victorian houses would be very extravagant in the front with lots of decorations, details, and unique angles. The back, on the other hand, was very plain, and the sides were very flat. Even the garden in the back would be boring and stagnant because all of the flowers were utilized in the front. These houses were named for the right reason because they were meant to portray that a queen lived in one.

This style migrated from Western Europe during the twentieth century and has spread throughout the Americas. This style is not very dominant but it can be identified in various regions in the U.S. When the Victorian style moved over to the U.S., it transformed some of the house types that were originally here, including the Bungalow, the Mid Atlantic, the Southern tidewater, and other major house types. Not only did it change the house types, but it also changed the culture. People were considered to be more civilized due to the fact they lived in a Victorian. Even today, people pair Victorians with wealth and stature. There are several Victorian houses in the Boise area including a large green Victorian house down by Harrison Street. These houses are considered to be “Painted Ladies” because of their Victorian style and the different colors of paint on the house, much like the famous ones in San Francisco and in the Alamo Square. The original bungalow was painted a light green color, and then it was eventually turned into a light yellow color as it transformed into a Victorian.

A house can tell how it has affected many aspects off the life around it. This house has a rich history, and shows its significance in architecture, culture, and geography. The fact that a Victorian was built somewhere in Europe for the first time, and decades later you can now find this style in a city like Boise. The Victorian Style will never be forgotten, and this house is a major reason why. Nobody will ever come close to matching the significance of the Victorian.