Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Boise

The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist stands as one of the city's oldest and most architecturally notable churches. Construction began in 1906 and progressed in stages to avoid financial strain on the parish. The cathedral was completed and formally dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1921. It occupies a site once home to earlier church buildings, including the original parish founded in 1870. The surrounding rectory, completed in 1906, and St. Joseph's School, finished in 1925, are part of a historic block later recognized in the National Register of Historic Places.

Designed by Tourtellotte & Hummel, the cathedral follows the Romanesque Revival style, drawing influence from European landmarks such as the Cathedral of Mainz and the Basilica of Saint-Sernin. Constructed from Boise Sandstone, the building features a cruciform layout, unfinished twin towers, and decorative elements including corbeling, a rose window, and a fl茅che above the crossing.

Inside, stained glass windows depict scenes from the life of Christ and various saints, largely created by the John J. Kinsella Company in 1920. The Tellers-Kent organ, installed in 1921, remains a central feature of the interior. Restoration and modernization projects, carried out in 1960, 1979, and for the cathedral's centennial, focused on preserving original architectural elements while adapting the space for contemporary use.

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Sight Name: Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
Sight Location: Boise, USA (See walking tours in Boise)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Fort Street Historic District Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Boise, Idaho

Create Your Own Walk in Boise

Creating your own self-guided walk in Boise is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Fort Street Historic District Walking Tour

The Fort Street Historic District roughly comprises 47 blocks, situated primarily within the 1867 plat of Boise City original townsite, and forms part of a larger area known locally as Boise's North End Preservation District. Upon its nomination, in 1982, for the National Register of Historic Places, the Fort Street district contained 318 buildings.

Over the years, this neighborhood has... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles

Boise Introduction Walking Tour

For thousands of years the tree lined Boise River valley was home to the Shoshone people. They would meet here to trade with other tribes. The valley was congenial and the river full of salmon. It was a holy place for indigenous people.

The name "Boise" originated in the 1820s. The valley was thick with cottonwood trees. French Canadian trappers called it "La riviere boisee"... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles

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