"The Friends of The Bishops' House" is a non-profit organization dedicated to the historic preservation of this grand old building. This beautiful building was once home to a succession of the Episcopal Bishops of Idaho. Each of the men who served as the head of Episcopal Diocese of Idaho lived in this home with their families while serving in the capacity as the Episcopal Bishop of Idaho. The original house was built in the late 1880's and was remodeled to its current stately, towered Queen Anne style Victorian home in 1899.
'Tis the season for Victorian Open Parlor at The Bishops' House. With more than 15 decorated trees, garland, lights, and a magical atmosphere, The Bishops' House is the best place to be on a wintery night.
Enjoy hot spiced cider while you tour our Victorian Home, $5 donation at the door. Please join us!
Come tour our lovely house and grounds to see our 135-year-old beautiful Victorian Home.
We are pleased to once again be offering memberships for our community to join The Friends of The Bishops’ House—the non-profit organization that takes care of The Bishops’ House!
Your membership funds will go towards physically preserving and sustaining this wonderful historic Boise treasure, keeping it accessible to the community, and continuing our ability to share—and write—its story for generations to come.
Join us by choosing one of the following membership options today:
- Admission to our “First Look” Victorian Holiday Open Parlor exclusive donor-only event
- 10% off all dinners and events hosted by The Bishops’ House—up to $25 savings!
- 1 general admission to the Idaho Botanical Garden—$8 value
- 1 general admission Old Penitentiary—$6 value
- All Annual Friend benefits
- One FREE mid-week rental of up to 4 hours per calendar year
- All Annual AND Monthly Friend benefits
- 25% off any one regular rental per calendar year
Each year the giver of our top membership gift will be added to a plaque on display at The Bishops’ House!
* Friends of The Bishops' House is a 501C3 nonprofit. Donations may be tax deductible. Consult your tax advisor.
The Idaho Heritage Trust has been a longtime supporter of the preservation work of The Bishops’ House, and awarded us grants in 2002, 2011, 2014, 2019, and 2020-23. Idaho Heritage Trust has provided essential assistance to The Bishops’ House, and Executive Director Katherine Kirk been exceptionally helpful in our efforts. https://www.idahoheritagetrust.org/
This most recent grant has allowed us, with generous contributions to our Idaho Gives campaign, and a significant donation from Amber Van Ocker, to complete 2 restoration projects:
-Repair and replacement of decking on the original porch that surrounds the house.
-Refinish a chaise and a rocking chair dating to the late 1800s, both part of our permanent collection.
This completed work will help protect The Bishops’ House beloved porch from damaging wear and tear that could have destroyed this valuable element of our historic landmark home. Repairs were completed by JP2 Construction, LLC. Professional guidance and technical assistance were provided by George Meyers, Maintenance and Operations supervisor at the Idaho State Historical Society and Idaho Heritage Trust board members aided in general grant-funded project assessment and direction. Upholstery and refinish work was completed by Christian of Crowell’s Upholstery.
Special thanks to our District 18 representatives- Senator Melissa Wintrow, Representative Lauren Necochea, Representative Chris Mathews, as well as all the other senators and representatives and leadership here in Idaho who generously support the preservation efforts of the Idaho Heritage Trust.
The Bishops’ House was saved by visionary community volunteers. They protected this architectural treasure from demolition by organizing as The Friends of The Bishops' House, moving the house to its current site near the Old Penitentiary, and restoring its’ historic beauty. We are pleased to join the Idaho Heritage Trust in their mission of “Preserving the historic fabric of Idaho for our State's Bicentennial in 2090 through a program of grants and technical assistance.”
The Bishops' House has been part of Boise history since it was built in 1889, and we are grateful for the support of our community, especially the numerous volunteers who have participated with us in preserving and sustaining this important piece of Idaho’s heritage!
The Bishops' House is a 3-story building built in 1889 for the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho, which was remodeled with an expansion in 1899. The house remained the residence of the Episcopal Bishop of Idaho for many years.
