The White-Savage Apartments on 521 N. 13th Street were named after their funders, Mr. White, and Mr. Savage, two prestigious business men. Its construction was complete in 1910. There were only 3 of these apartments built, in Boise, San Diego, and Detroit. The Boise location is the only one left standing. One the few original apartment buildings left in Boise, it’s still being used for its original domestic purpose.(Anonymous Resident) It’s officially registered in the Fort St. Historic district, and is also on the National Register of Historic Places. (IHS 97)
The White-Savage Apartments are three stories, with light colored pressed brick. There are two balancing three-tiered porches, with thin fluted Doric columns, on either side of the entry. (IHS 97) The base of the columns contains a half ellipses Scotia molding. These porches and columns are part of the Georgian, and Renaissance Revival style. On the right side, a similar bay of porches is seen, as well as semi-enclosed porches recessed in the right corner of the building. The roof is flat, with decorative brick work and iron ornamentation, which is a marking of craftsman style. The entrances and windows have segmental brick arch work, indicative of Romanesque architecture. (“residential Styles” 08 )
There are glass half-ovals over the door. The windows also have rectangular, external windowsills made of stone. The decorative designs over the doors, symmetry of building, and columns indicate a neoclassical style. Similar to many buildings built in the early 1900s, the parking was kept out of street view and in an alley behind the building. (StanWiens) The roof was flat, and the left side of the building is plain with rectangular windows, both these are signs of an Art Deco influence. (“residential Styles” 08) There are two arches on either side of every entrance, with a lamp hanging at the end.
Originally, the building had slanted sleeping porches in the back because air-conditioning was not an amenity back then. They were slanted so that, when a delivery man brought ice, the ice would melt and run off the side. Sleeping porches are a unifying element of many historic residential areas in Boise. Recently, they were removed and renovated to house more tenants.(Anonymous Resident)
This side of the building is less decorative and much more functional, with plain rectangular windows and slightly lighter brick. This side of the building also has 2 new wood frame structures, primarily used as garden sheds. This building brought a diversity of styles to the Fort. St. Historic District, and because there were only 3 made, this combination of styles is rare and precious. The building is no one dominant style, but rather a medley of many. . (IHS 97)
The apartments have been through many transitions in Boise’s history. Initially, they were some of Boise’s finest apartments featuring those wonderful porches, a pool, and up to date cooling systems. Over the years, as the area has transitioned, the apartments fell into disrepair and the pool was replaced by low cost apartments next door. In 1964, Calvin Jenson and Ray Allen, two college friends, decided to renovate the apartments and created the White Savage and Assoc real estate firm. Joined by Alan Minskoff in 1972, the firm embarked on an ambitious plan to renovate a number of Boise’s landmarks including the Belgravia building and the Idanha Hotel. Jenson claimed that by the late 1960s, the White Savage Apts were “so ghastly inside, no one would rent an apartment then.” A Statesman article from 1973 claims “The Apartments now have the charm of the old building and the conveniences initiated by the restoration project. Stained glass windows and exposed brick walls retain the aura of the turn of the century architectural style. Loft bed, and all-electric kitchen appliances reflect the modernization efforts. Each of the 15 units has a shaded balcony.” The White Savage Apartments are still in demand today as a piece of Boise History.