Idaho Business Review IBR
Love it or hate it, much of the iconic black-and-white tile of the Capitol Terrace will be going away as the building façade undergoes a $2 million renovation this summer. The 1988 building will be rebranded Main + Marketplace.
In addition to a refresh of the façade that includes repainting and new tile, the renovation will also include installation of street-level and second-story permanent steel-and-wood canopies outside storefronts and the open-air deck, as well as signs and a “prominent architectural feature” facing 8th Street. The parking garage will also be repainted, said Gary Hawkins, owner and CEO of Hawkins Companies, the new owner of the building, who called it a “prime corner of Boise.”
The renovation’s second phase will include this area and could include pop-up shops. Photo by Sharon Fisher.
A second phase of the renovation — for the entryway off the garage, which could include a “container alley” of pop-up shops in shipping containers — will be starting at the same time with an undetermined completion date, Hawkins said.
Several tenants will also be renovating, such as The Balcony dance club, while the Title 9 women’s clothing store and The Electric Chair Salon have already completed renovations, Hawkins said. While many existing tenants, such as Shige Japanese Cuisine, were represented in the artist’s rendering of the building, they might not all be staying, he said. He declined to name any who might be leaving. “It’s a vibrant, diverse mix that keeps downtown Boise cool,” said Lynn Hightower, executive director of the Downtown Boise Association.
The building will also be getting several new tenants, some as soon as mid-May, such as Donut Daze, a chicken, doughnut, and waffle house that will stay open late; Bru, a pizza and self-serve beer facility run by the owners of the former Jamba Juice; and Jekyll and Hyde, a bagel shop that also features live music at night, which will replace Pita Pit and will be run by the same person, Nick Epler. “The decision to reinvent was a no-brainer,” he said.
Boise mayor Dave Bieter ceremoniously pried off one of the building’s iconic black-and-white tiles. Photo by Sharon Fisher.
The renovation has actually been planned since 2017, as part of Hawkins’ acquisition of the building, said Gena Russell, vice president and senior relationship manager of the commercial real estate division of U.S. Bank. The bank has funded a number of Hawkins projects nationwide, including the Edwards Boise Stadium 21. The bank was notified that its request for proposal for financing was accepted on March 9, 2017, under terms she said she could not disclose. The acquisition, which Hawkins said was somewhat less than $10 million, was from the Roper family, the original owner and developer of the building
Tenants of the building were generally positive. “We’re delighted to have investment in the building we’re located in,” said Laura DeLaney, a co-owner of Rediscovered Books, who said the business planned to stay in the building. The bookstore expanded and renovated in 2015 and so doesn’t expect to do any other renovations, as it is focusing on renovating its new second location at the former Rainbow Books, she said.
The signature but dated, vaguely Art Deco-ish tile came in for its share of ribbing during the announcement, which included Boise Mayor Dave Bieter ceremoniously prying one of the black tiles off near the top of the escalator. The black-and-white tile served as a helpful reminder for people leaving bars at 2 am that they might need to get a ride home, he said.
Fans of the black-and-white tiles need not despair, however. At the request of some of the second-floor tenants, which he didn’t name, some of the squares on that level may be preserved, Hawkins said.
The original building was built in 1988 by Jim Roper of Burley as a redevelopment project anchored by two parking garages.
The designer is CTA Architects, in Boise, and construction will be managed by Guho Corp. Construction began April 25 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.
