Original sketches and blueprints for iconic Boise buildings on display at Idaho State Archives

BOISE, Idaho — Hummel Architects donated a collection of over 4,000 individual items to the Idaho State Archives, many of which are plans for some of Boise’s most iconic buildings. An exhibit at the archives is now showcasing some of those original sketches, blueprints and building plans for the public to enjoy.

• Portions of the Hummel Collection are on display in an exhibit at the Idaho State Archives.
• Parts of the collection that are not on display can be requested for viewing in the archive’s reading room.

(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

“I think these are hand drawn… 1920, certainly,” says Angie Davis, the Collections-Outreach Archivist at the Idaho State Archives.

The team at the Idaho State Archives has a lot of work to do.

“But this is the to-do pile … very big,” says Davis.

Hummel Architects donated a collection of over 4,000 individual items to the archive, many of which are plans for some of Boise’s most iconic buildings.

“So these are the original drawings from the Egyptian theater,” Davis said.

Hummel Architects originally donated the plans for the Idaho state Capitol in March of 2023. Since then, they have decided to give the rest of their archive a new home.

“We spent the majority of the year last year between March and December moving the Hummel archive from their vault to our location,” Davis said. “It’s wonderful that they trusted us to take care of these and provide access to the material.”

She tells me that the collections at the archives can be easily seen by the public.

“Anytime somebody wants to request these, we will pull them,” Davis said. “We will make them available in the reading room and make sure that they’re safe.”

Davis says that collections like this can help people understand the history of Boise.

“After 128 years building some of the most iconic buildings in Boise and in Idaho, you’re going to find treasures, you’re going to to find them,” Davis said.

“One of my favorite parts about this collection is that they have been a working collection, so I imagine the architects on these projects shoving the roll plans under their arms and running around the site and now they’re safe,”Davis said. “They won’t be exposed to coffee rings.”

Portions of the collection are on display in their exhibit gallery, but the majority of the materials are kept safe in vaults, available to view upon request.

“Getting to engage with originals is not always something that everybody gets to do, so if you have the opportunity, come see it,” says Davis.