The C.W. Moore Park would not be in existence without the man Christopher W. Moore. In 1862, Moore moved to Idaho, the same year as the city’s founding. In 1867, Moore and his partner B.M. DuRell established the First National Bank of Idaho. This was one of the first chartered banks in the West. Moore carefully managed the bank during the following years and is assumed to have contributed greatly to the growth of Idaho’s businesses and industries. Another accomplishment came in 1891, when Moore founded the Boise Artesian Hot and Cold Water Company, which heated his own Warms Springs Avenue mansion with the natural hot water as well as other homes along the road. The use of the hot water in this was the earliest use in the United States. To complete his legacy, Moore deeded the land where the park is built to the city in 1916, the year of his death.
The most interesting aspect of this park is its contents. The major elements of it are architectural artifacts preserved from other old Boise buildings that were demolished during the Urban Renewal in the 1970s. Most prominent among these artifacts is the great sandstone arch that greats visitors. This was built in 1904 as the main entrance to the Bush Building on Capitol Boulevard and Idaho Street.
Other prominent pieces include the Central School Name stone and the Pioneer Building Name stone. These both can be seen displayed in the sandstone walls that run through the park. The central school name stone was saved in 1973, when the second Central School was demolished; the first, built in 1883, had to be demolished to make way for the State Capitol in 1905. The Pioneer name stone came from Frank Coffin’s Pioneer Building built in 1894 on 8th and Main. Other interesting, if small, artifacts are the early Boise building date stones. These came off of various buildings. Lastly, the W.E. Pierce Building Turret can be found as an information center for the park. It was built in 1903 for the Pierce Building found on Main Street, across form the Idanha Hotel.