Steunenberg Residential Historic District

The City of Caldwell is home to one of the most historically intact neighborhoods in Idaho-- The Steunenberg Residential Historic District. Frank Steunenberg was Idaho's 4th Governor and a Caldwell resident. He lived on the corner of 16th Street and Dearborn Street, in an area of Caldwell that's now considered Caldwell's Historic District. Sadly, Steunenberg was assassinated in 1905, 5 years after he left office, by a bomb at his home. The home, 8years later in 1913, caught fire and burned to the ground. So while his own home no longer stands, his name still remains part of the district itself. 

The Steunenberg Residential Historic District is an area of town that houses more than 330 historic homes, many of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. The City of Caldwell lists the District's borders as The College of Idaho on 20th Avenue, Blaine Street, Fillmore Street to Sixteenth Avenue South, then over to Everett Street, up to Twelfth Avenue South, to Blaine Street though it does exclude the block of East Cleveland from Thirteenth Avenue to Twelfth Avenue.

The boundaries of the District include the extant residential portions of the Dorman Addition, the Washington Heights Addition, and Steunenberg's Acreage Addition, which were the first early 20th century residential developments east of the downtown business core and west of the College of Idaho (formerly Albertson College of Idaho). These additions were adjacent to the interurban streetcar loop that encircled the Boise River Valley, and to a stub line that extended southward to Lake Lowell. The portions of the additions not included in the boundaries contain properties that have been extensively altered or no longer retain their residential character.

According to LivingPlaces.com properties within the Caldwell Residential Historic District represent many popular architectural styles, both plan-book and architect-designed, from the 1890s to the 1950s. These homes exemplify how architectural trends and motifs influenced plan-book designs that were more affordable to "the common man." Several houses exhibit classical architectural details mixed with traditional or vernacular plans. Variations of each major housing style is found within the District, from Queen Anne, Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Prairie School, Spanish Colonial Revival (or Spanish Eclectic), Tudor Revival, Moderne, International, and more contemporary forms such as Ranch and Minimal Traditional.

Today, the City of Caldwell has 3 separate self-guided tours you can select from to walk around and see these magnificent historic homes and learn all about them and their related histories. Here's the link to those tours should you find yourself in the area and facinated with it's rich history. Self- Guided Walking Tours of Steunenburg Residential Historic District. Or, if you're out of the area and still interested you can always view the pictures and read the stories at the bottom of that link. 

Homes like these do go up for sale. If you'd like to be placed on a list to potentially purchase one of these historical beauties should it come up for sale, I'd love to help you with that. Caldwell may be a rapidly growing city, but the Steunenberg Residential Historic District is here to stay.