Walk through Pocatello’s history with Historic Home Tour this Saturday

POCATELLO – A fundraiser that allows people to learn more about Pocatello’s history by visiting some of its oldest homes will take place this weekend.

The 4th annual Historic Home Tour, put on by NeighborWorks Pocatello, is scheduled for this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour will feature eight of the Gate City’s most historic homes, allowing people to step inside and tour the residences.

“Pocatello is special in many ways, but one way I think it’s extra special are the older, historic, charming homes that we have… Just come take a look and see what makes our community and our older neighborhoods special. We really have a great collective asset,” said Mark Dahlquist, executive director of NeighborWorks Pocatello.

Dahlquist explained that NeighborWorks’ mission is both to increase the affordable housing stock in Pocatello as well as to revitalize older neighborhoods. Similarly, the historic home tour accomplishes two things: increasing awareness of Pocatello’s historic neighborhoods and raising funds for the city’s six neighborhood associations.

Last year, the tour raised $10,000 dollars, which was split six ways between the neighborhood associations.

“It’s become a really great, important fundraiser for them,” Dahlquist said.

People who want to go on the tour can buy tickets the day of at a ticket sales booth on the corner of North Arthur Avenue and West Fremont Street for $20 each. From there, attendees can either drive, walk or board a free trolley in the Pocatello High School parking lot, which will run a 20 minute route to each of the homes.

Every year, the Historic Home Tour features homes that have not been a part of the tour before. This year, the homes will be:

• 315 W. Center
• 454 N Garfield
• 710 N Garfield
• 855 W. Clark
• 207 S. Lincoln
• 254 S. Lincoln
• 218 N Hayes
• 907 W Center

Once attendees arrive at one of the houses on the tour, they’ll be able to enter and explore at their own pace, with time to admire the home’s decor and architecture, or learn more about the house through an informational pamphlet.

People looking to learn even more about Pocatello’s history can also attend a series of rotating presentations inside the lobby of the Whitman Hotell at 122 South Main Street. The speakers will be:

• Jerry Myers, Myers-Anderson Architects: “Preservation and Upkeep of a Historic Home”
• Ellen Ryan, Head of Special Collections & University Archives at ISU: “Researching Your Home’s History”
• Latecia Herzog, Myers-Anderson Architects: “Legacy of Early Pocatello Architect, Frank Paradice”
• Jennifer Attebery, Professor Emerita, ISU Department of English & Philosophy: “Shady and Walkable: West Side Pocatello’s Historic Streetscapes”

With most of the homes being at least 100 years old, Dahlquist said the tour gives people the chance to “step back in time.”

“And it’s not only a step back in time. It’s just a really great way to get out there and appreciate the history that we have in our own backyard,” Dahlquist said.

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