The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

William Judson Boone Hall

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William Judson Boone Hall (exterior), Albertson College of Idaho

William Judson Boone Hall (sculpture of Boone by Ann LaRose), Albertson College of Idaho

Institution Name: Albertson College of Idaho
Original/Historic Place Name: William Judson Boone Hall
Location on Campus: 2112 Cleveland Blvd.
Date(s) of Construction:

1970	original construction John Graham & Associates

Designer: John Graham & Associates, Seattle
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Modern/post-WWII, Other (Glossary)
Significance: culture, education, history
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: concrete

Walls: tip-up concrete, exposed aggregate

Roof: built up

Function:

ca. 1970-present (2006)	museum (display areas for relation science collections; O. J. Smith Museum of Natural History; and Evans Gem and Mineral Collection)
ca. 1970-present (2006)	academic department building (chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology, and geology departments)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	observatory (Wittenberger Planetarium, with computerized telescope)

Narrative:
The historic appearance of the original building is unchanged. The original design departed from the traditional red brick used in the majority of present campus buildings, although the contrast was not so evident at the time of the building's construction. The major change of the last few years, the (PC) computer revolution, has been accomplished by redesigning a number of laboratories for conversion to computer labs. The building comprises 79,200 square feet on three levels.

The building was named for the founder and first president of the college, Dr. William Judson Boone (1860-1936), an ordained Presbyterian minister. We may infer from the historic record that while Dr. Boone was a dedicated minister, he was also a passionate botanist. His specialty was mycology, and he discovered a number of examples of puffball fungi. Dr. Boone's attitudes defined the liberal arts at the college, and the building was dedicated to this abiding spirit. In 1991, when the college changed its name to Albertson College of Idaho, a bronze statue of Dr. Boone (heroic proportions) was installed near the main entry of the building that bears his name.

References:

Attebery, Louie W. Albertson College of Idaho: The Second Hundred Years. Caldwell, ID: Albertson College of Idaho, 1999.

Attebery, Louie W. The College of Idaho 1891-1991: A Centennial History. Caldwell, ID: Caxton Publishers, 1991.

Hayman, H. H. That Man Boone, Frontiersman of Idaho. Caldwell, ID: College of Idaho, 1948.