1502 North 13th Street, cross street Alturas, was built as a typical North End bungalow in 1910. Currently it houses Goody’s Ice Cream and Soda Fountain. Goody’s has been in the building since the 1996 remodel by the current owner was completed. Before becoming Goody’s it was a family home, a “bachelor pad” with rooms to rent, a daycare facility, a video arcade, and a music store. There have been at least 4 previous owners.
When originally built, the building was much smaller. Several additions have been made to the building, one of which brought access to the cellar indoors. Others added or rebuilt walls. Still others helped to reinforce and preserve the building. The last of the additions were purely for convenience. While it seems as though so many additions have been made that there could not be anything original remaining, there are several aspects of the house as it stood in 1910 that are still intact.
The original parts of the house that are still in use seem, for the most part, nondescript. The foundation has not been replaced. All previous flooring is still in place, although cased under a layer of new cement. The ceiling in the very front of the store (underneath the front gable) is still made of the authentic wood paneling as is the window frame in the wall separating the entry from the main room. The bay window remains in the same place it has been. The cellar too is still in the same shape it was when the house was new.
The cellar seems the best place to see the authentic and the modern combined. The cellar is in the same condition as it was when the structure was built, the cement is original. However the supporting beam that runs the length of the building is not original, nor is the support beam in the center of one of the two cellar rooms. The shelving on the walls has been added for convenience. The cellar stairs have been replaced for safety reasons. But the original cellar and its entrance remain.
Other examples of the fusion of old and new can be seen in the structure of the house. The way the outer walls of the building stair-step represent each addition, but the original shape still exists in the midst. The bay window, original to the property, has been reinforced but still remains in the same place it was built. The walls have been completely rebuilt. During this renovation, an old coffee can was unearthed and corn-cob insulation was discovered in the older walls. The original woodwork from the building still exists albeit in another location.
The floor that is visible now is new to the address. During a renovation, new concrete was poured over the existing flooring and tile laid on top of it. All of the parts that make it an ice cream shop and soda fountain were installed in the most recent remodel. The expansions to the building include bringing the entrance to the cellar indoors, and expanding the building for the purpose which it would serve next. Crawl spaces were built under the new portions of the structure. The entry to the crawl spaces is located on the side of the cellar stairs.
This North End bungalow not only serves as a home for some of Boise’s most delicious treats, it is a treat for the eye as well. The 13th Street entry sports a railing supported by square columns in an almost Greek Revival style. The three gables in the roof (front, back, Alturas side) mirror Craftsman style houses. The gables create a focal point for the eye as well as a case for the Goody’s signs on the 13th street and Alturas side.
Aside from the bay window, there are single-hung sash windows that are common in many houses, picture windows in the front and on the Alturas side, multi-lit windows on the Alturas side and the opposite side, and fixed windows on every side.
The doors on the Goody’s building are very different in style. The door on the opposite side of the building from Alturas street is unobtrusive and matches the siding in color. There are minimal decorations, all of which are rectangles. The door on the Alturas street side is not as unobtrusive. This maroon-red door has a fixed window in the top portion. The front doors match this door, only doubled. These two doors complete the symmetry of the front of the building.
This building that has served so many purposes over the years is located in the heart of the North End neighborhood. From a family home next to the farmer’s seed market to a typical summer treat for anyone with a taste for ice cream, this building has more of a historical purpose than it seems at first glance.