The city of Boise is taking over repairs of the historic downtown Union Block building, citing inaction from the owner and public safety concerns.
The Idaho Statesman reports Boise’s chief building official said in a letter to Ken Howell, the building’s owner, that the city is pursuing structural design and repairs at Howell’s expense under a facade easement, which allows the city to act to preserve buildings with historical or architectural significance.
The city cordoned off the Union Block building at 730 W. Idaho St. on Nov. 9 after officials inspected the space.
The Ada County Highway District also closed the sidewalk, on-street parking and far-right lane of traffic next to the building on Idaho Street between Capitol Boulevard and Eighth Street as a precautionary measure.
The two-story building has been under construction for years, with steel beams temporarily holding it up, after Howell got approval from the city in 2018 to carve out an additional floor below ground, which was only supposed to take about a year.
