Downtown Idaho Falls seeing burst of revitalization

Renaissance, resurgence, tsunami of energy — all words being used to describe what’s happening in downtown Idaho Falls.

“We’ve got confidence. We’ve got energy,” Catherine Smith, executive director of the Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation said.

Smith talked about a project this summer to improve Broadway.

. “So Broadway is really the front door to downtown. It’s the front door to Idaho Falls as people pull off the Interstate,” Smith said.

When the project on Broadway is finished the street from Yellowstone to Memorial will have brand new sidewalks, pavers and curb, very similar to what’s on Capital and “A” Street.

New trees and planter boxes will be placed on Broadway and throughout downtown.

Further north, work is underway on the old Bonneville Hotel that will house shops, a restaurant and housing for everyone from young professionals to retirees.

“To be able to save this building with a new use and a new life is just really important to downtown,” Smith said.

Developer Jake Durtschi is putting the finishing touches on the Downtown Event Center, a remodeled building on Park Avenue.

“Most of the events are going to be wedding events, corporate events, Christmas parties, special events,” Durtschi said. “Sometimes we’ll do ticketed events like comedy shows.”

The venue includes a dance floor, big screen projectors, a prep area for the caterers and a bride’s room.

Another group of Idaho Falls developers are called 100 proof properties. They got their name from the I-O-O F on the Oddfellows Building they own.

“We’re restoring the beautiful building and making it back to the original arch and bringing in a lot of the history that was originally here,” Owner Tasha Taylor said.

One of the most unique parts of the building is the basement with the original basalt rock walls and wooden beams.

“It’s cozy and beautiful in here,” Taylor said. “There’s so many different materials to look at between the basalt wall, the random concrete, the random bricks.”

Across the street where Karen’s bar used to be, this same group has gutted the old 1895 building, reinforced the walls and plan to lease it for any number of possible uses, a bar, restaurant, or entertainment venue.

“We opened it up to have a little more excitement with a balcony and seating up top looking down on what could be potentially a stage that we’re standing on,” 100 Proof COO Matt Jacobson said.

They also bought the building where Ferrells Clothing has been since 1950.

“We are going to strip this exterior,” Taylor said. “Underneath is the original rock, basalt, brick exterior.”

The clothing store will move to Hitt Road. Ferrells used mostly only one floor, but the building has several unused stories. The potential excites the developers.

“You’ve got multi levels,” developer Jayce Howell said. “You could have a stage up here. You could have offices up on top. You could have penthouse condos.”

This same group has purchased the old Inkley’s Buidling. It used to be a bank – the vault is still there. Upstairs used to be offices. It will be renovated for that same use.

While some are renovating, others are building brand new buildings downtown, like the one where “Smokin Fins” Restaurant moved in.

Idaho Falls Redevelopment Agency Chair, Lee Radford says over the years he’s heard a lot of visionary plans, but this is different.

“And now we’re seeing those investors put some good hard cash down, believing this will be a place that will return more money for them in the future, and that’s what we want to see,” Radford said.

It’s a sentiment many downtown proponents agree with.

“It’s all happening right now and with that it’s a tsunami of energy,” Smith said.

“There are a lot of people that are investing a lot and working hard,” Durtschi said.

“There’s momentum this time, I’ve never seen it like this before,” Taylor said.