Payette County Buildings Listed On
The National Register of Historic Places

From National Register Application:   The New Plymouth Congregational Church is a one-and-a-half-story structure - one tall story on an elevated basement - in a formal neo-classical revival style. The massive, stuccoed concrete structure is rectangular. A monumental outset portico has a low-pitched, pedimentally-treated gable outset on two-story Tuscan columns. Cross gables are centered on the side elevations.

The front gable pediment is lined with bed molding and filled with stucco of a paler tint than that of the dark stucco walls. It is dominated by an ox-eye window now filled with louver strips. The window was probably originally filled with segmented glass, as are those in the matching side gables. A plain entablature between the front and the capitals of the portico columns continues frieze-like around the building. Behind the portico is a facade three bays wide, demarcated by two-story Tuscan pilasters with prominent bases. The tabernacle entrance in the central bay has a mannerist air: the pediment normally found flush with the top of the door floats upward to intersect with the sill of the shortened round-arched sash above it. In each flanking bay is a blind niche, rectangular in form, with shouldered upper moldings matching those of the entrance. There are full-length round-arched sashes on narrow outset sills at auditorium level in each of the flanking bays of the facade. Three such windows at this level are set into the very shallowly outset, tripartite, pilaster-demarcated bays under the side gables. On either side of these broad central bays are narrow corner ones, each containing two rectangular six-over-one-light sash windows at auditorium level. Eleven such windows run along the base of the side elevations at basement levels, doubled between the pilaster of the central bays.

The church is identified and dated by an overhead plaque at right front. Aside from superficial changes such as the front ox-eye louvers, a modern light fixture mounted on the entablature, and wrought-iron rails and a carpet strip on the low concrete porch, the building is unaltered.

The New Plymouth Congregational Church is architecturally significant as a full scale, monumentally porticoed and pedimented neo-classical revival church which is the outstanding structure in New Plymouth, and which is related to that town's unusual history. In the Thematic Group it also represents with self-confidence and purity the more formal neo-classical revivalism in contemporary sites 99, 102, and 104.

As designed, with a full two-story, two-bay Sunday School section extending to the right of the portico, the church would have been less formal, or at least less symmetrical, than it now appears, though it would have been even more imposing on this small-town streetscape with a nearly square, seventy-four-by-sixty-four-foot plan. As built, it is perhaps even more satisfying visually and is easily without peer in architecturally modest New Plymouth.

New Plymouth has one of the most interesting town plans in Idaho. It was settled in the 1890s by a pragmatic Utopian group which hoped to demonstrate the advantages of both cooperation and irrigation. It was laid out in a horseshoe-shaped plan, with a central common and ranges of residential streets for villager/farmers. Though the common has filled in, the farmers have moved nearer their fields, and the town is reduced to a more ordinary service center for them, the plan is intact. The Congregational church, which stands on one of the curving streets near the base of the U, is related to the Utopian history of the town in an interesting way: the original settlers voted to have only one church in town, and agreed on Congregationalism because no members of that denomination were present. It was no longer the only church in town by 1920, when the new building was designed by Tourtellotte and Hummel, but it apparently still commanded the largest congregation.

From National Register Application:   The A. B. Moss building is a two-story brick commercial building which is distinguished by the two large brick "chevrons" which break the roof line and function as false fronts for twin facade units. The "chevrons" emerge from a unique banded brick ornamentation and are flanked by abbreviated piers which terminate with brick finials. The windows, which have cut stone sills and brick segmental arches with stone keystones, are united by a brick banding. The facade's first-story, with its recessed center doorway and border of black tiles with orange lozenges, was the result of a 1926 remodeling. Except for this, and a coat of green paint above, this building remains unaltered.

The A. B. Moss building fs architecturally significant for its unique brick ornamentation, which fits Marcus Whiffen's "High Victorian Italianate" classification. The brick banding and the two chevrons rising from it represent unusual craftsmanship in brick for its time and location.

A. B. Moss is credited with founding Payette. He supplied the original ties for the Union Pacific Railroad by floating them down the Payette River to "Boomerang", the name he gave to present day Payette. He was an extensive landholder in the area and was active in municipal government for many years.

The Moss family still owns this building (1978), which is now used as a senior citizens center.

A. B. Moss came to the Payette valley in 1881. In 1882 he secured a contract from the Oregon Short Line Railroad to supply them with 250,000 ties. Also in this year he and a brother established a store in Payette as a supply camp for the railroad which eventually became the Moss Mercantile Company, the largest store in the area.

From National Register Application:   The Coughanour Apartment Block is a three-story building in brick commercial style. The major decorative motifs are in brick, although the building has pressed tin applied ornamentation as well as good leaded glass transoms.

Although constructed in three stages (1902, 1905, 1907), the building presents a cohesive appearance with delicate pressed tin band moldings above both the first and second stories uniting the facades. The consistent use of ornamentation, as displayed by the brick pilasters, brick cornice, first story leaded glass transoms, garlanded pressed tin pediments and pressed tin plaques with wreathes and swags, further contributes to the unity of the structure.

The only inconsistency seems to be in the employment of both flat and segmental arches to cap the windows. However, these differing arches both appear in the 1905 addition.

The original 1902 building ts the two story section which faces north. In 1905 the large west addition with its corner entry was constructed. Two years later the eastern section with the barroom was added. Originally the west's corner pediment was surmounted by an eagle which no longer exists.

The first story contains eight offices and a barroom. The remainder of the building was apartments, except for the west portion of the west addition which for many years was a photographers gallery.

The Coughanour Apartment Block Is architecturally significant as one of the more pretentious apartment blocks of the period in Idaho. The use of stained glass transoms and pressed tin ornamentation denoted a certain elegance not normally associated with apartments at this time in the state.

Standing opposite the train depot with an oxidized copper statue of an elk in the middle of the street, the apartments presented Payette visitors with a favorable first impression.

William A. Coughanour was prominently identified with the business and civic life of Payette in its early years. Coming to the town in 1885 he held considerable lumber, cattle and orchard interests. With the turn of the century he served seven consecutive terms as Mayor of Payette. During these years the building was constructed. As such it may be considered a tangible affirmation of the town's prosperous condition and commercial potential.

It is also one of the few three story buildings in the city, most being but two in stature. Actually it might be one of the higher apartment complexes of its day in Idaho, as most people did not aspire to go higher than two stories.

From National Register Application:   Campbell and Hodgson of Boise, Architects. The David C. Chase residence is a two story brick Queen Anne house which is distinguished by its tower and windows with detailed wood paneled frames. The rectangular tower rises from a corner porch, and has a flared hipped roof with a finial. The house's gables are similarly flared. A bay window is to the left of the porch and to the right is a round arched window with Romanesque character. The tower has a narrow round arched window and a pair of windows with colored glass surrounding them. Several of these windows have cut stone sills.

From National Register Application:   The Grant Whitney residence, with its Mansard roof, dormers, and unbalanced mass is an unusual example of the combination of Mansard and Queen Anne forms rendered in brick. The rectangular east two story bay enhances the structure's commanding verticality, while the round west tower with its second story balcony adds to the picturesqueness. The porch is heavily bracketed and has hexagonal columns. Its original balustrade and cast iron roof cresting are missing.

The first story windows have stone segmental arches and sills, while the second story windows have flat arches. The tower windows are round-arched. There is a bay window on the west side with cast iron cresting.

In the 1930's the house was broken into apartments with much injury to the interior woodwork. However, the third floor ballroom still remains intact. The grounds were highly landscaped.

Along with the bay window on the west side of this house there are also first and second story windows which are identical to the other first and second story windows.

The Grant Whitney residence is architecturally significant as an unusual example of mansard and Queen Anne combined. Very few houses with mansard roofs still exist in Idaho. The landscaping, which included formal gardens, richly augmented this home built for the area's foremost nursery man.

Grant Whitney had this home erected for his new bride, who was some years his younger and from a metropolitan area, in an attempt to reconcile her to small town life. The house did not achieve its desired results and when Whitney discovered his young wife with a lover, he killed the man. The marriage broke up and the house was sold. From this incident the home attained the reputation of being haunted.

In the 1930's Margret Miller purchased the house and converted it into apartments.

From National Register Application:   The J. C. Palumbo Fruit Company Packing and Warehouse Building is a 12 by74 foot industrial structure presenting a nearly unfenestrated four-story profile on a site directly across from the railroad tracks in west Payette. Walls are red brick with deep concrete linels over all openings, which are almost entirely confined to the first floor and the shallow basement.

The building was designed for fruit packing and shipping activities on the first floor and storage on the upper three floors. The exterior reflects these functions. A short spur of track runs beside the west wall for direct loading into boxcars from the wide portal centered in that wall. The south wall is penetrated by a row of multi-light shop windows punctuated by loading doors and a pedestrian entry. On the rear elevation - where a compatible one-story brick addition obscures most of the original ground-level fenestration - a vertical strip of shop lights runs from the second through the fourth floor to the left of the elevator shaft, lighting the entrances to it. The shaft emerges in an elevator section on the northeast corner of the building. This section is brick-walled continuously with the rest. The basement level is apparent on the exterior from the rows of horizontally oriented rectangular barred windows at the base of the south walls.

The building appears tallest to the west, where the plain parapeted sidewalls are drawn up to maximum height. They are stepped down gradually to the east on either side of a gently sloping shed roof. The "J. C. Palumbo" on the painted banner signs on west and south walls has been painted out and replaced with the name of Rinelli, a later owner; the original letters are still faintly visible under the later name. The Palumbo designation remains on the east wall of the elevator section.

SIGNIFICANCE

The Palumbo warehouse is architecturally significant as one of the few non-retail and non-office commercial structures included in the Thematic Group, although a number were designed by the firm. Its monolithic brick surface may be seen in heralding the end, in the work of this firm, of a habit of dressing up such buildings in the materials one would expect to find in an office block. (A very notable exception is the Guernsey Dairy Milk Depot, site 130). It is one of the most impressive buildings in Payette, and until recently was probably the largest as well.

The only comparable buildings in the Thematic Group are the Idaho Grocery warehouse in Lewiston and the Beaver River Power Station (sites 48 and 76). It is significant that, like these considerably earlier buildings, and like such other distinguished and previously registered examples as the flatiron-shaped Goreczky warehouse of 1910 (National Register, 1977, South Eighth Street Historic District), the Palumbo building expresses an interest in beautification by use of a brick veneer which is not, strictly speaking, necessary. At the same time, physical function is clearly expressed, through fenestration or its lack, by loading docks and by the trackside location. While its sleekness may be seen as precursor of a functionalist aesthetic, it seems also to mark the beginning of the end of this sort of expression in this sort of building. Plain cast concrete became the material of choice, and none of the warehouse and shop buildings designed in later years has been judged to have sufficient distinction to warrant inclusion in the Thematic Group.

The building has additional significance as evidence of the important fruit industry of the western Boise Valley. A fairly extensive series of Tourtellotte and Hummel commissions for packing houses and dryers in Emmett, Meridian, Fruitland, and Payette for several different clients, clustered in the years 1917-1918 but done in subsequent years as well, suggests a general level of contact with this industry. Only the Palumbo building, which is probably the largest and most important of them, has been located and included in the Thematic Group.

From National Register Application:   The Payette, Idaho, Methodist Episcopal Church is a brick building with wooden frame roof and Queen Anne gable detailing. The basic style is Gothic, but this is indicated almost exclusively by lancet windows and not by buttresses, finials, or other Gothic features.

A square corner tower once supported a wooden belfry and steeple. The principal gable runs east and west. It is intersected by a lower gable just beyond the tower, and crossed by a high gable on the west end. This longer gable extends beyond the main block of the building, creating space for a corner porch with two pointed arched doors. Functionally, the main gable contains the sanctuary, with a raised altar area on the north. The west, crossing gable, was used for church school, later remodeled to contain two stories.

The outstanding feature of this church is its large stained glass windows. The two principal ones in the sanctuary are on the south: Christ in Gethsemane, from the painting by Hofmann, and on the east: The Good Shepherd. Even the church school rooms have fine stained glass in every window.

William Noot, city engineer of Payette, Idaho, designed two churches at the turn of the century, of which the Methodist Episcopal of 1904 is the finer. Since the Baptist Church now faces demolition, it is fortunate that this sole example of Noot's work is to be preserved and restored by the Payette County Historical Society, the present owner.

Since few Payette buildings date from before 1904, the building is significant as an example of early local architecture. It is regarded as an ,important landmark by the community which has generously contributed to its preservation and restoration.

The stained glass windows are significant in that there is probably no other church in the state of its era with as much fine glass in proportion to total area.

From National Register Application:   The N. A. Jacobsen Building in Payette is a two-story brick structure with a thirty-foot frontage on North Eighth Street, the main street of the town, and a seventy-nine-foot frontage on First Avenue. The building was designed to enclose one large store space on the first story and offices on the second.

Second-story pilasters, which rise through a corbel table of outset bricks to erst slightly above the parapeted roofline, divide the office story into bays: two bays facing North Eighth Street, each containing a single large window with a segmented lower sash; five bays facing First Avenue, each containing a pair of such windows.

A large, truncated, round turret of galvanized iron is set above the corner shop entrance. The turret band of tall, narrow double-hung sash windows is at a level with the second-story windows; an attic band of small square sashes runs around the turret near the roofline.

The original drawings show a crenellated turret cap which was built and removed at an early date. It does not appear in an historic photograph which must date from the 1910s. The original plate glass windows have been paneled in on First Avenue (the mezzanine lights appear already to have been paneled in when the early photograph was taken); and the North Eighth Street elevation has been subjected to superficial recent screening of part of the mezzanine level as well as to the veneering with glazed tile, probably during the 1930s, of the area around a second shop entrance which has been let in at right.

The corner entrance is intact, and with it the coffered base panels of the beveled inset entryway. This woodwork also survives along the full length of the in-filled display windows on First Avenue. A stone plaque with the legend "N. Adolph Jacobsen Bid." survives on the front elevation below the continuous denticulated sill of outset bricks on which the second-story windows rest.

Plans for the building were drawn up late in 1908 for N. A. Jacobsen of Payette. These are the initials on the drawings and collection books as well.

From National Register Application:   The N.A. Jacobsen House is a frame dwelling standing two stories in height, located on a large lot at the northeast corner of First Avenue North and Ninth Street in Payette, Payette County, Idaho. Large deciduous and evergreen trees shade the yard, and a semi-circular drive provides access to the house from First Avenue to the south. A two-car brick garage, originally used as a blacksmith shop, is set on the northeast corner of the lot. The house is in excellent condition and shows little exterior alteration since its construction.

The house rests on a poured concrete foundation. The walls are of wood frame construction, sided with clapboards and trimmed with plain flat corner boards. The clapboard siding contrasts with the plain shingles in the gable-ends. The steeply pitched pyramidal roof was originally shingled in wood but now is covered with asphalt roofing. A large brick chimney projects from the roof line near the junction between the main pyramidal roof and the kitchen ell.

The primary volume of the house is rectangular with a pyramidal roof which features flared eaves and a decorative metal crest at its apex. The roof is broken by projecting gabled bays on the north west and south elevations. Each of the projecting bays is two stories in height. They feature flared eaves, a molded barge board, and a semi-circular attic vent. The north bay is rectangular while the west and south bays are angled. The north bay also features an additional smaller hipped roof boxed bay. A two story kitchen ell projects to the east. It is full width on the first story and somewhat narrower on the second floor. A wide hipped roof veranda with a curved corner wraps around the west and south elevations. These elements serve to give the Jacobsen House a highly asymmetrical appearance and plan.

Windows and doors in the Jacobsen House are simple in design. There are large fixed or picture windows located on both the first and second stories. They are placed in the center of both the west and south bays at both levels as well as in the primary body of the building at the west end of the south elevation. The remaining windows are one-over-one double hung wooden sash placed singly or in pairs. A tripartite Chicago style window (fixed center flanked one-over-one sash) is located on the small first story north bay. There is also a bank of narrow one-over-one double hung sash with fixed transoms located on the east elevation which enclose the rear service porch. Wooden exterior doors are located in the north end of the west elevation and in the angle of the south bay. Both feature full glazing, and the front door is etched with the name of the original owner - N. A. Jacobsen. Window and door trim is very simple and includes a crown molding on first story windows and doors.

The Jacobsen House exhibits elements of the early Colonial Revival style~a popular building form in Idaho from c.1895 through the mid 1910s. A defining stylistic feature of the early Colonial, carried over from earlier Victorian styles, is a large wrap-around veranda. In case of the Jacobsen House, the porch is supported by a series of single Ionic columns and has a plain frieze and molded cornice. This is in contrast to earlier styles, such as the Queen Anne, which featured elaborate turned columns and ornate jig-sawn porch detailing. The porch roof is hipped, and a shallow pent gable is located above the main stair leading to the front door. The veranda gable features shingle infill, a narrow bargeboard and a molded cornice. Another detail taken from the Colonial tradition are the boxed eaves on the second floor. They are decorated with a molded cornice and widely spaced modillion brackets.

The interior of the Jacobsen House retains a remarkable level of historic integrity. Virtually all of the original wood trim, built-ins and fixtures have been preserved intact.

There have been very few changes to the exterior of the Jacobsen House over the years. The only notable exterior alterations, aside from the aforementioned asphalt roof shingles, is the addition of a railing to the veranda and exterior stairs. This alteration does not detract from the building's overall design and character.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The N.A. Jacobsen House is eligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion A because it is associated with the first substantial period of growth and development in Payette from the late 1890s through the 1910s. The house, built in 1908, represents the prosperity associated with a booming agricultural economy in Payette. It was built by a prominent fruit grower and packer as a direct result of the rapid expansion of the fruit industry - which comprised the core of the local economy in the early part of the 20th Century. In addition, the Jacobsen House is eligible under Criterion C because it is representative of the Colonial Revival style dwellings which became popular with newly wealthy rural and small-town residents during the first two decades of the 20th Century. It demonstrates elements important to the early Colonial Revival style as translated into a small town environment.

The Jacobsen House is typical of the large homes built by those Payette residents who prospered during the fruit boom. Several equally large and modern homes were built in Payette and in other towns in the area which benefitted from local economic expansion. Many of these homes have been destroyed or altered. The Jacobsen House is an excellent and well preserved reminder of this optimistic and expansive tune in local history.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

The Jacobsen House is also significant as an example of the early phases of Colonial Revival architecture found in the small towns of southwest Idaho. More specifically, the Jacobsen house serves to demonstrate a significant shift which occurred in American architectural design in the first two decades of the 20th century. It exemplifies the "early" phase of Colonial Revival domestic architecture which was popular in rural Idaho from the mid-1890s until the beginning of World War I.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the extravagances of the Queen Anne had given way to Classical simplicity across the spectrum of American architecture. This change, however, was by no means abrupt. Tastes and styles change slowly and incrementally. Many early Colonial or Classical Revival homes retained the essential form of a Queen Anne house while utilizing a Colonial decorative vocabulary. It is as a demonstration of the transition from one set of design preferences to another that the Jacobsen House is significant.

As can be seen, the Jacobsen House retains several broad characteristics of Queen Anne design. The plan and massing of the building is typically irregular and asymmetrical. The lower portion of each of the street elevations is dominated by a long porch which wraps around the corner of the building. The central pyramidal roof is interrupted by no less than four projecting gables. Both the west and south elevations are dominated by an offset projecting mass topped by one of the aforementioned gables. These are all quintessential Queen Anne characteristics.

Despite its Queen Anne ancestry, the Jacobsen House best demonstrates several key elements of the early Colonial Revival style. Most notable is the use of simplified decorative surface treatments much more in keeping with the Colonial Revival tradition. The house is clad from foundation to roof line in simple uniform clapboard wood siding. Corner boards and window framing are extremely plain as are the moldings used on the porch, cornice and gable verges. Notable decorative treatments which can be directly ascribed to the Colonial influence are the pedimented porch entry and the Ionic porch columns. Interior finishings are also simple, featuring plain oak and fir moldings and fixtures. As such the Jacobsen House is a true demonstration of an early or transitional structure, retaining elements of the 19th century Queen Anne tradition while embracing a Colonial design aesthetic for the 20th century.

The N.A. Jacobsen House retains a significant degree of historical and architectural integrity. It is one of the few essentially unaltered houses remaining from Payette's primary period of growth and stability from the late 1890s through the second decade of the 20th century. In addition, it is a good example a large early Colonial Revival style dwelling typical of newly prosperous home builders of this period. It also demonstrates the early transitional phase of Colonial Revival design as it was interpreted in small-town Idaho.

From National Register Application:   The Payette City Hall is a two-story brick building in the Neo-Classical Revival style, which sits on a raised foundation. It is distinguished by a slightly outset entry bay which rises to a pedimented cornice. The building is three bays wide and four bays deep. Terra cotta pilasters delineate the bays. Double hung sash windows with terra cotta flat arches are found in each bay. The first story windows are framed with quoins. The facade and central bay contain a round arched entry with a fan light it is tympanum. A flight of steps which extend from the sidewalk provide access to the double doorway. A similar entry is located at ground level on the building's northside.

The Payette City Hall is architecturally significant as a gopd local example of the Neo-Classical Revival style. Althought modest in scale and ornament it none-the-less is one of the town's more outstanding, structures and the major one in the downtown area to display Classical details and proportions. Situated at the end of Third Avenue, Payette's main street, it dominates the street scape in the north end, and for many years served as a symbol of civic authority.

Further contributing to the building's significance is its having functioned for a number of years as a seat of local government. Not only did it house the city government, but after the formation of Payette County in 1917 it also contained the county government. Thus this building stands as a local landmark due to its associations with city and county government, as well as its Classical motifs, which traditionally have been associated with governmental architecture in America.

From National Register Application:   The Payette Main Post Office is a single-story red brick building on a raised concrete basement. The building consists of the original construction and an addition to the west side (1964). The facade of the original building is flat, symmetrical, divided into five bays, and devoid of significant detailing. A centered entry bay with two window bays (all flat-arched) on either side break the otherwise plain facade. Granite steps and landing, flanked by square concrete buttresses capped with limestone, provide access to the double-door entry. The window bays immediately flanking the entry are of the same size as the entry bay. Plain concrete panels are inset beneath the sill and bas relief decorative limestone panels are inset above the sash. These two panels and one above the entry transom depict the three modes of transportation: locomotive, ship, and airplane. Narrower than the interior windows, the end windows are framed by flat cast concrete lintels and sills with a plain concrete panel beneath. A narrow belt course marking the tops of the three central bays extends along the entire front facade (including addition). The addition (west side), which is slightly recessed, is identical in use of materials and detailing to the original building. Two windows bays configured identically to the original end windows divide the plain brick wall of the addition. The entire facade is completed by a plain brick parapet, topped with cast-concrete coping. Behind the parapet is a flat roof of built-up tar composition.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The original facade is divided into five bays. The entry bay is centered and flanked by a window bay of equal size on each side. These bays are recessed slightly and extend from the entry platform to the belt course. The entry consists of double metal doors with a single glass panel in each. A plain transom bar is above the doors with a single glass panel above (smoked glass, replacing original). Narrow concrete surrounds flank the doors and transom window and extend to a limestone panel, in low relief, of an airplane.

The Payette Main Post Office is locally significant in its symbolism of the federal presence and the massive public works programs that were initiated to aid communities during the Depression. It also represents the link between the federal government and the local community as well as the successful lobbying efforts of local citizens through their elected officials in Washington to obtain their first and only federal building. As an example of a small-town single purpose post office in the Starved Classical mode, the building also architecturally significant on the local level. The building, though developed from standardized plans and typical of numerous other small town post offices in the West, is the only example of its design type in the city. Though the building received an addition to its west side in the 1960s, the addition is consistent with the original building and with the original design, which provided for a future addition should one be warranted.

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

As Payette's first and only federally-constructed post office, the building is locally significant under Criterion A. It represents the link between the federal government and the local community, and functions as both a symbol and as an agency of the federal government. The building also represents recognition by the federal government of the community's importance and permanence as well as the successful lobbying efforts of local citizens through their elected officials in Washington to obtain their first and only federal building. The evolution of the building was closely followed by Payette's newspaper, which wrote "Payette is extremely fortunate ... the new building will afford a valuable asset to the city" and described it as "a modern postoffice building ... which would do credit to a city many times the size [of Payette] ... and is of a most artistic design." The building further symbolizes the massive public building programs of the 1930s which were intended to assist communities during a period of national economic emergency.

ARCHITECTURE

Although it has been altered by an addition to its west side, the Payette Post Office maintains its original design integrity. It appears, from local news articles of the day, that the addition was contemplated in the original design and would be constructed when the postal business was of sufficient volume to warrant expansion. The building was designed from standardized plans developed by the Office of the Supervising Architect to provide economies and to expedite the construction of the vast number of federal projects during the Depression. Though there are similar examples, this particular facade treatment is the only one of its type in the state. Based on a Classical box, the building is stripped of significant historical architectural detailing; its design can be termed Starved Classical. The citizens of Payette were proud of their beautiful modern building and its special limestone decorations upon its completion in the fall of 1937. The decorations lauded in the press were also standard and consist of bas relief images of an airplane, a locomotive, and an ocean liner - the three modes of mail transport. As an embodiment of the distinctive characteristics of a mid- to late- 1930s post office design type.

The immediately flanking window bays are configured similarly to the entry bay. The panels above the windows depict a locomotive and an ocean steamer. Beneath the flat sills are plain concrete panels. The sash is double-hung wood with three-over-three lights (wide center light with narrow sidelights).

Extending across the front of the three center bays are the main entry stairs flanked by square concrete buttresses. The seven steps and landing are granite. A limestone slab caps the buttresses; affixed to them are free-standing bronze lanterns (painted) in a torch motif. Four aluminum railings ascend the stairs (original wrought iron and bronze railings replaced).

The end window bays extend from the water table to a line extending from the top of the sash of the interior bays. Narrower than the center bays/ the sash is also double hung wood with three-over-three lights (equally-sized and vertically-oriented). Flat concrete lintels and sills with plain concrete panels beneath provide detailing.

The materials and detailing of the original building carry to the addition. Definition between the original building and the addition is made by recessing the addition one brick width. The two windows of the addition are configured identically to the original end windows.

The west facade (addition) is flat, red brick with a concrete basement wall and concrete water table, belt course (extended from front), and coping course. Five flat-arched window bays divide the front half of the facade. The rear half is solid brick, a portion of which extends beyond the parapet of the main building. Rising only to the belt course, this portion corresponds to the west side of the loading platform. The window bay nearest the front corner is configured identically to those of the front of the addition. The other four bays are reduced in vertical dimension with the lintels aligned with the corner window. Flat sills lie beneath the windows. The sash is double-hung wood with three-over-three lights.

The east facade (original) contains five equally-spaced window bays. A rearward addition (on same plane as original wall) is solid brick except for a metal door near the juncture of the addition and original walls. The belt course and coping course are extended from the original wall. Although the sash of these side bays are identical to each other (and the end windows of the front), the outside bays contain concrete panels beneath the sills. The three interior bays omit the recessed panels.

The rear facade (all addition) consists of the same materials and detailing as the front and sides. Five equally spaced window bays (identical to rear windows of west facade) and a loading platform at the west end define the facade. The loading dock consists of a concrete platform enclosed on the north and west sides and opening to the east, covered by a tar composition roof with projecting marquee.

From National Register Application:   The Portia Club is located in Payette, a community of approximately 8,000 (2010) in southwestern Idaho. The clubhouse sits at 225 N. 9th Street. The single story building measures 32' x 56'. with a rear kitchen addition measuring 18' x 24.' Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style, the Portia Club is unlike neighboring buildings, not only in style, but also in function and age. The building to the south is a brick church, possibly built around the same time, while the remaining structures are residential and appear to be built in or after the 1950s. There are no other structures of this style in the vicinity, which allows the Portia Club site to stand out in its setting.

The Portia Club is single-story stucco Spanish Colonial Revival style building constructed in 1927. The architect was I. C. Whitley from nearby Fruitland, Idaho. Whitley designed the building based on the architecture he saw on a visit to southern California. This style of architecture became popular after its use at the 1915 Panama - California Exhibition in San Diego, which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. The star of that exhibition was the California Pavilion, designed by Bertram Goodhue, which drew freely from Spanish and Mediterranean architectural antecedents, resulting in a blend of elements and details.

The building is rectangular in form with a kitchen addition projecting on the west elevation. The kitchen was added sometime between 1928-1949.

The structure sits on a concrete foundation, A dedication block, inscribed with 1927, is located in the foundation on the southeast comer building. The foundation appears to be in fair condition with some deterioration, which is most visible on the southwest wall of the kitchen area.

The Portia Club entrance portico is located on the eastern wall near the northeast corner of the building. The open walls entering into the portico are battered. The arched entry has 3 decorative tiles above. The entrance portico is covered by a gabled roof with straight barrel mission tile. The sides of the portico are open with built in planter boxes on each side. The original slab, wooden door to the interior has strap hinges.

The primary (east) facade features four original windows with blind arches above. The arches feature heavy hoods with a single, centered diamond-shaped tile. The windows arc metal, multi-paned, triple-bungsash. An arcaded wing wall is found at the southeast corner of the building, providing entrance to the side of the lot.

The south elevation has minimal detailing, owing to the fact that this end of the building houses the stage on the interior. A single small window is located toward each corner of this elevation; the western window is 3-over-3, double-hung sash; the eastern window is a vertical sliding replacement window, but fits in to the original opening. Two circular medallions are located near the parapet line.

The rear (west) elevation features a projecting wall toward the north end that houses the kitchen area. The west wall of the original portion of the budding has a single door at the south corner and three evenly-spaced windows; the middle window is a modern replacement, while the flanking units are metal-frame. Thc south wall of the projecting kitchen addition has a single door, slightly offset to the east, a single four-pane fixed frame window and a single, 6-over-1 double-hung window. The cast elevation of the kitchen addition has only a single 6-over-l double-hung window. The parapet wall that obscures the shed roof does not continue around to this rear elevation.

The north elevation is dominated by a large end-wall brick chimney. There are two 6x6 sash windows on the west side of the chimney. One window is a simple wooden design and the other is metal.

The interior of the Portia Club has an area of approximately 2,250 square feet, with just over half of it comprised of the main hall. The main hall holds 1,290 square feet and prominently features a stage at the south end. The stage measures approximately 18 feet in length by 13 feet in depth, with an elevation above the main hall finished floor of approximately two feet. The face of the stage has rounded plaster molding around the edge with three large storage compartments below the raised stage floor. The stage has two doors at the rear on the southeast and southwest comers. The southwest corner originally housed the kitchen, but has served as storage since the kitchen addition was built. The interior walls are simple lath and plaster in poor condition. Current restoration efforts are replacing it with drywall. The ceiling trusses are made of wood and appear to be 2"x 12" fir. The support beams for the trusses also appear to be fir and are either constructed as a lamination of four, 2"x 12"5 or as solid beams. There is a fireplace on the north wall that is currently being reconstructed. The firebox condition is good, but the hearth and all decorative parts have been removed for restoration. (2010)

The kitchen addition area of the Portia Club is 352 square feet. The remaining space houses storage, utility, and two restrooms.

The Period of Significance (POS), 1927-1959, encompasses the date of original construction of the building, and ends 50 years prior to the preparation of this nomination. The Portia Club was still active and meeting in 1965 when the advancing age of its members made maintenance of the building difficult for them. They sold the structure with a stipulation that they could continue to use the space for monthly meetings as well as two additional days per month, The group formally disbanded in 1972 as members dwindled and new members were hard to find.

The Portia Club, a women's social club in Payette, Idaho, was established in 1895, by a small group of women who came together for "mutual improvement and social benefit." The ladies first met in members' homes and named their group for the wise young judge, their heroine of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. The group's early mission was limited in scope, but it eventually evolved into a powerful club with a variety of active committees addressing local issues such as conservation, legislation, education, health, and park and village improvement. The women of the Portia Club were instrumental in addressing local issues important in the welfare of individuals and their community at large. The Portia Club building, where the group met for over 40 years, stands as testament to their commitment and determination.

From National Register Application:   St. James Episcopal Church is a good example of an English country church of the Gothic style rendered in brick. Its gabled roof has triangular stained glass dormers and a white shingled belfry at the front. The belfry rises from two buttress-like piers which frame a large stained glass Gothic window which contains a rose window. Brick buttresses accent corners and demarcate the four side bays, each of which contains a stained glass lancet window.

The original wood and plaster interior with its open ceiling, is still intact, and the original pews still are used.

The building has undergone certain alterations. In the mid-1950's a rear chapel was added, which does not detract from the original design. The belfry originally had a spire, but due to structural difficulties it had to be removed. The front doors have recently been replaced.

St. James Episcopal Church is architecturally significant as one of the best brick examples of an English country church in the Gothic style in Idaho. Its attention to detail and concise visual statement make ft a local landmark.

Triangular stained glass windows break the interior's open ceiling to create a mock clerestory which adds to an already handsome interior.

The church is the oldest extant house of worship in Payette.

From National Register Application:   St. John's Church is located at 350 North 4th Street (facing south on the southeast corner), of the town of Payette, Payette County, Idaho. It is built on lots 7 and 8, in block 5 of the Platt addition. Built in 1911 , the building has been in continuous use by a single congregation. The building is a single-story modest Gothic revival, rectangular in shape, measuring 50 feet by 30 feet. An addition added to the rear of the church in 1966 measures 26 feet by 28 feet. The current measurement of the building is 7 4 feet by 30 feet. A basement room was excavated in 1965 and it measures 44 feet by 24 feet. The original building sits on a 3 foot rusticated concrete block foundation and its walls are a running bond brick pattern sitting on a header row. A 1918 Parsonage house sits immediately to the south of the church. The modest bungalow has an associated garage to the west.

The front facade faces west; it is asymmetrical, containing the steeple/entrance at the north corner. The belfry portion of the steeple is clad in beveled board siding with louvered lancet ventilation windows on the west and north facing sides of the tower. The tower is topped with a pyramidal black metal roof and is completed with a white cross. The main entry door is reached via eight poured-concrete stairs. This staircase and railings replaced the originals in 1954. The church entrance is a single 6 panel door. Above the main door is the first of three stained-glass windows, installed in 1985, which replaced original glass windows. This small window is lancet shaped and contains the words "Let us go into the house of the Lord" as well as a pair of linked hands on a blue background. The window is capped with lancet-arched brick window hood. Another, larger stained-glass window is located in the center of the front elevation. It is also lancet shape and is prominently blue. It contains various religious icons that are meaningful to the church and its German heritage. The closed gable on the front facade contains natural cedar shingles and a small peak head window framed by simple wooden moldings. The soffits are tongue and groove and all remaining moldings are simple and minimal.

The north side of the church is comprised of the second side of the steeple and a third stained glass window. A small rose window contains the words St. John's and the date of the church founding, 1908, as well as a small cross. The elevation contains three sets of evenly spaced, paired, one-over-one windows. This side of the building also contains the rear addition, added in 1966. The windows on the original building sit atop rusticated concrete sills and are topped with a double segmental brick arch and a single header segmental arch. The windows contain pebbled amber glass in white wooden frames. One double sliding window, added in the basement renovation, sits in the 3 foot foundation to allow light into the basement. The addition walls are constructed of gray concrete block and contain a single sliding window on each of its three sides.

The rear elevation is stepped, with the roof of the addition being slightly lower than that of the original building, and at a slightly different angle. The gable ends have natural cedar staggered shingles, like the front gable and contains a small rectangular louvered ventilator. There is a single modern door that leads to the rear of the church and the basement. Simple wooden moldings complete the door frame and the windows are left unframed. Upon entering the addition, the original rear wall to the building is evident, made up in the same style as the remainder of the original structure. As the addition is not as tall as the original structure, one can see a portion of the brick wall, as well as the closed gable, comprised of natural cedar staggered shingles and simple wooden moldings. A chimney is also visible, just off-centered on the gable.

The south elevation was originally the same as the north elevation, but an addition has altered the appearance. A portion of the original structure is present, brick and windows the same as the north facing elevation. A concrete block lean-to addition was completed in 1966 as a second entrance to the basement renovation. This lean-to covers one of the three pairs of windows on the south elevation. The south facing side of the lean-to has one sliding window on a rusticated concrete sill. The roof is significantly lower than the rest of the building and is steeply pitched. The front of the addition is visible from the front fa9ade, though built approximately six feet back from the main elevation. The front of the lean-to elevation contains the building numbers and the gable is modeled to mimic the front and rear gables, with natural cedar staggered wood shingles, simple wooden moldings. The door to the addition has four horizontal panels under two side by side glass windows.

The roofs of the main building and the rear addition are designed in a simple gable style. The rear addition's roof sits lower than that of the original structure. All roofs contain the same deep brown asphalt shingles. The shingles are laid in a typical staggered overlapping style. The ridge has a simple aluminum ridge cap.

The original building and additions have been painted to create a seamless appearance. All wooden moldings are simple and minimal and are all painted white. The cedar shingles cladding the gables have been stained a deep red. And all the windows have been covered from the outside with a layer of Plexiglas to protect the original glass from vandalism. There are a few small holes present in the front gable, most likely from animals. Sidewalks were added in 1912 and 1914.

The interior of the church has been altered throughout the years with the addition of the rear addition and the basement renovation. The entry way and chapel remain essentially untouched. Oak moldings, stained a deep brown, surround the windows and door frames. There is a six panel door that leads from the entry to the chapel, as well as double doors that lead from the narthex. All are stained in the same dark brown. The carpet was replaced in the early 1980's with a commercial grade gray carpet and it runs through the entirety of the church. The pews are original, purchased at the time of construction in 1911, but were recovered in the late 1960's with rust colored crushed velvet. The original altered was replaced in the 1980's and at the same time an organ was donated to the church. The original hymn board donated in 1925 remains in use today. The walls and ceilings are lath and plaster and are painted a soft white.

The basement addition is simple, exposed cinder block painted a mint green. The original rear exterior of the building is visible inside the addition; it too has been painted the same shade of green. The basement boasts a modest kitchen, used every Sunday for potlucks and quilting bees. Originally used for Sunday school classes, the basement area has also become a crafting location, in which the ladies of the congregation sew quilts to donate to various charities in and around the area.

PARSONAGE

Additional contributing buildings are on the property. A parsonage, built in 1918, was ordered from the Aladdin Company in Michigan, to be used as housing for the pastor and as additional study spaces. The house sits on the south side of the church. It is currently rented out by the church to help cover operational costs. A garage built in 1924 sits on the east corner of the property.

The house adjacent to St. John's Church was originally built in 1918 to serve as a parsonage for the Reverend and his family. The building was ordered from Bay City, Michigan and arrived in a boxcar. Similar styles can be found for purchase through Sears and Roebuck, Lewis Manufacturing, Aladdin and Montgomery Wards.

The house is a single story structure with an excavated basement. It sits facing west, on the south side of the church. A narrow sidewalk separates the two structures. The home sits on a three foot concrete foundation comprised of painted white cinder block. There are a few windows in the foundation, which solidifies the notion of a basement. The entire home is clad in narrow clapboard painted white with simple wooden moldings, painted green. All windows sit on small wooden sills. The roof of the home is an intersecting gable and hip design. The rear facade has an open gable while the front facade has a hipped roof over the porch and the dormers. The roof is comprised of light gray asphalt shingles.

The west elevation, or front facade, has a nearly-full-length porch supported by square posts. An open baluster with simple square spindles defines the porch. The flooring of the porch is tight boards and the ceiling is bead board. Poured concrete steps lead up to the porch with a simple iron railing. The porch appears to have been screened in at one time but is now open. The front door is off-center and flanked by a single, double-hung sash window to the north and triple hung-sash windows to the south. A hip-roofed dormer containing three fixed windows is centered in the roof plane above the porch.

The north elevation of the house has four, evenly-spaced, one-over-one windows, framed with simple wooden moldings. A fifth window is installed at the rear of the elevation. This window is a large square single sheet glass window.

The rear, or east, elevation an enclosed exterior stairway has been added to access the basement. The rear entry door is off-centered and is reached by a set of poured concrete steps. The enclosure has a steep slope to the ground. As the house appears now, there are two square medium single sheet glass windows on either side of the rear entry door. These are clearly not original to the house, though when exactly they were added in unknown. A simple small four-paned window adds light and ventilation to the attic space and is centered in the gable end.

The south elevation has four windows, varying in size and design. From the front of the home, the first window is a large single one-over-one window. Towards the middle of the home, paired one-over-one windows add light to the center of the home. A small square fixed-glass window is located high on the wall towards the rear and a single, small, square one over- one window finishes the remainder of windows on the elevation.

GARAGE

The garage is located on the far southeast corner of the property, behind the home. It was built in 1924 to add storage to the church and parsonage. Its construction is simple and non-descript. It is built with a plain wooden frame, overlaid with metal siding. The garage has a simple gabled roof clad in metal. The end gables are clad in cedar long board siding.

The front elevation faces the east and has a rolling metal garage door. The gable is clad in cedar plank board and houses a large utility light. The north elevation faces the church and has a solid wood entrance door and two small square four paned windows. The rear of the garage faces west and has one four-paned window and a gable with cedar planks. There appears to be a small opening cut into the cedar, but it not an obvious entrance to the structure. The south elevation of the garage was inaccessible.

The garage is considered non-contributing because of the addition of metal siding and metal roof, essentially enveloping the historic structure in replacement materials.

PERIOD OF SIGNICIFANCE

St. John's Church in Payette Idaho is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A, at the local level, for its significance in the area of Ethnic Heritage/European - specifically German heritage in western Idaho. German investors were some of the early settlers of Payette, bring their culture and religion with them. As they settled and shaped their new surroundings, the German population of Payette continued to hold to their roots, founding St. John's Church and conducting religious services there in German for many years. The Church continues into modern times as St. John's United Church of Christ, with many descendents of the original founders remaining as members, and still very much identifying with their German roots.

The Period of Significance begins with construction of the Church in 1911 and closes in 1958, when it was included in the national merger of four independent denominations, effectively ending the ties it had to its independent Germanic roots. St. John's Church in Payette, Idaho meets for Criteria Consideration A because it derives its primary significance for its historic association with the German population of Payette, rather than for religious purposes.

From National Register Application:   The Woodward Building 1s a two story, 30' x 90', brick commercial building which is distinguished by its classically inspired Iron cornices and white pressed brick facade. The applied ornamentation Includes a cavetto between the first and second stories which is supported by modillions at each end and a cornice with four modillions. Rusticated sandstone frames the plate glass windowed first story and the second story windows are framed by brick layed to give a corbelled affect.

Except for a window air conditioner the second story remains unaltered, although the first story has undergone various modifications including the addition of a sign and canopy. However,the alterations mainly involve a change in window treatment, which may be corrected at some future date.

The Woodward building is architecturally significant for its ornate metal cornices The classical ornamentation ts unique in Payette and the second story brickwork, which is attributed to Charles Oscar Kirkendall, is of high quality. The building was designed by Tourtellotte and Company, the foremost architectural firm in Idaho at this time.

Dr. J. C. Woodward, the original owner of the building was very active in municipal affairs and was the prominent doctor in the area. The second floor of this building was his office and residence.