Renovation Projects – First Place – The Avery

Built in 1910, the Averyl building in downtown Boise, underwent renovation to emerge as The Avery. According to the project’s nomination form, the three upper floors of the 26,000-square-foot building feature 39 rooms in a boutique hotel, six of which are suites featuring soaking tubs.

Three have balconies and six feature double windows overlooking Main Street.

The ground floor houses the hotel lobby, an upscale restaurant, a gastro-tavern, kitchens and public restrooms. The basement is used for storage, mechanical space and staff offices.

Originally, the project called for reuse or restoration where possible of the original building. Unfortunately, decades of exposure left most of the materials unsuitable to save.

However, things like the original wood trim were matched to keep the historic character of the building and wood flooring was salvaged and refinished to be used as wainscot in the tavern on the first floor.

Many challenges were faced during the project that required innovative thinking. One such challenge was a free-standing structural steel fire stair that went from the basement to the fourth floor. Its footing was a concrete ramp that had been eroded from 60 years of water dripping. Engineers and the superintendent used shot-crete to secure the foundation and then poured a wall and pad footing to reinforce the foundation and support the stairs.

Due to historic registry requirements, supply chain delays and 114 years’ worth of hidden conditions, the project took about 10 weeks longer than anticipated to complete.