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McClure Federal Building Now Listed on Historic Register

Listing will Guide Future Work on the Building  

BOISE - The U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Northwest/Arctic Region announces the James A. McClure U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building has been officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The formal listing on the Register means the modernist-style exterior architecture and character-defining historic interior features of the federal building will help preserve its character for the future. 

Any changes to the building must now be reviewed by GSA and the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office using new criteria aimed at preservation of the building’s distinctive characteristics.

The McClure Federal Building and Courthouse is now one of only two Federal buildings in Idaho owned by GSA with this status.

”The addition of the McClure Federal Building and Courthouse to the Historic Register compliments the adjacent historic Fort Boise and two vibrant nearby historic districts,” said Rebecca Nielsen, Regional Historic Preservation Officer for the GSA Northwest/Arctic Region. “This determination will help guide GSA in its preservation efforts for future projects involving this building.” 

The modernist style of architecture of the building is reminiscent of the basic tenets of the “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture” as set forth by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. This encouraged architecture that would provide both efficient and economical facilities as well as provide a visual testimony to the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the American Government.

At nearly 174,000 sq. ft. of office space, the federal building was constructed in 1961 and finished in 1968. The building was renamed in 2001 in commemoration of Idaho Senator James A. McClure. 


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