Two Caldwell landmarks that date to the early 1900s and the historic train depot that houses the Canyon County Historical Museum in Nampa have been awarded grants to help ensure they continue to remain part of the local landscape.
This year marked the first time the Idaho Heritage Trust has awarded money to Canyon County projects.
The PEO Chapter House in Caldwell was given a $5,000 preservation grant while the trust also gave $2,000 for what is commonly called The Hat. The former streetcar stop shelter sits on the Albertson College of Idaho campus. The grants will be used to replace the roofs of both buildings.
Another $5,000 was awarded for stripping, repairing and repainting the wood trim and gutters on the exterior of the Canyon County Historical Museum, which is housed in the 1903 Oregon Short Line Railroad depot at 1200 Front St.
PEO Chapter House
According to the National Register of Historic Places nomination compiled by Madeline Buckendorf of Caldwell, the PEO Chapter House was built in 1910 as a residence for Henry and Ida Frost Dorman.
The building was placed on the register in 2000. At the time of its construction, a Caldwell newspaper described the house — located at 110 E. Logan St. — as “one of the finest houses in the city.”
The Hat
The Caldwell Historic Preservation Commission, in conjunction with Albertson College, received the $2,000 grant to preserve The Hat, one of the oldest structures on the college campus. The Hat was built around 1914 to protect riders of the streetcar from the weather. The Hat will receive a new roof and become a component of the redesigned main entrance to the ACI campus.
The depot
By 1900, Nampa had outgrown its wood-frame railroad depot, which stood on the main line of the Oregon Short Line Railroad and was the junction point for the Idaho Northern, Boise, Nampa, Owyhee and Idaho Central railroads. The depot boasts a combination of Romanesque, Renaissance and an outstanding example of Baroque Revival architecture.