"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.
March 17, 2023 from 6:30pm - 9:00pm. Join us for a traditional St. Patrick's Day Far of corned beef and cabbage. Entertainment by Johnathan Perry.
April of 2022 to the present found The Bishops’ House not requiring masks but being very careful in our cleaning procedures trying to keep everyone healthy. We have been very busy with many different events this year. Omicron Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma have held their monthly meetings at the house all year as have the Warm Springs Water Board. The Bishops' House Writers’ Collective used the Grooms’ Room (New Sumac Room) to gain inspiration for poems and short stories. This group has grown and will continue to write with us. The Boise Belles, a Boise fashion group of the 1940s-60s, helped us entertain fund raisers and held meetings as did the We Wear History ladies who sponsored a Vampire’s Ball at Halloween as a fundraiser for The Bishops’ House.
The Parlor was opened eight times on Sunday afternoons for the public to view the restorations of the past few years. At Christmas time we opened the house twelve evenings for the public to enjoy the many decorated trees in true Victorian fashion. Tours were given for the Boise area Retired Teachers Association and the Meridian Senior Center. Staff and volunteers from the Old Penitentiary toured the house to learn more about their neighbors. We have decorated a cell at the Old Pen for their Halloween activities over the past three years.
Sixteen couples held their wedding festivities with us along with a bridal shower, two baby showers, a birthday party, a graduation party, four Celebrations of Life, and two holiday parties at Christmas time. We can’t forget the Bards in the Yard this past summer with The Merry Wives of Windsor. Fun was had by all on those two evenings and an afternoon matinee!
We hosted a luncheon for the long running PBS series, the Antique Roadshow, on Memorial Day weekend when they visited Boise and filmed next door at the Botanical Gardens. We continue to thank all who participated in Idaho Gives last May for their generous donations. Just recently we used a most generous matching grant which we received from the Idaho Heritage Trust to restore the hard wood floors on the second level. They are beautiful, especially the Bride’s Room (new Rose Room). We had new carpet installed on the stairs and hallway with additional donations.
Our Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day Dinners were very well attended and enjoyed by our guests. We are looking forward to our Mother’s Day Tea and Idaho Gives in May. Mother Nature played tricks on us this fall, so we have a lot of fall/spring garden work to do very soon. We are looking forward to dedicating our new rose garden which we worked on last year, adding 8 new roses (2 more will be planted this spring) and a new bench with plaque space reserved for individuals to memorialize loved ones. The dedication is planned for this summer.
Our many thanks go to the gentlemen who maintain the properties owned by the State of Idaho. We are eagerly awaiting new paint on the outside of the house and a new roof, both of which are desperately needed.
The Friends of The Bishops’ House are looking forward to another very active year with our events and several restoration activities. Thank you for your continued support.
—The Board of Directors
Juno Van Ocker, President; Judi Gabriel, Vice President; Janet Tweedle, Secretary/Treasurer; Camille Meadows, Judy Holtz, and Jean Cassell
Amelia M. Berg, Executive Director
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.
Be sure to log in to your Amazon account at smile.amazon.com, and choose “Friends of the Bishops House Inc” as your designated nonprofit.A small percentage of any eligible purchases will go towards preserving and sustaining our historic home whenever you order through smile.amazon.com Please take that extra step and start your purchase at smile.amazon.com to support our efforts here at The Bishops’ House
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. Idaho Heritage Trust has provided wonderful assistance to The Bishops’ House, and Executive Director Katherine Kirk been exceptionally helpful in our efforts.
This most recent grant has allowed us, with generous contributions to our Idaho Gives campaign, and a significant donation from the Boise Columbian Club, to refinish or original hardwood floors. These oak floors are original to the house and have survived more than 130 years of wear and tear, from family life to community service and celebrations! This completed work will help protect The Bishops’ House floors from damaging wear and tear that could have destroyed this valuable element of our historic landmark home. With the help of your donations, our weary hardwoods on the main floor received repairs and a gorgeous new finish by Brad Allred and the team at Great Floors, JP2 Construction, LLC. Professional guidance and technical assistance was provided by Stephen Chesnut, Maintenance and Operations supervisor at the Idaho State Historical Society and Frederick Walters, Idaho Heritage Trust board member. Idaho Heritage Trust aided in general grant-funded project assessment and direction.
Special thanks to our District 18 Senator Melissa Wintrow, Senator Janie Ward-Engelking ,
Representative Ilana Rubel, and Representative Brooke Green, as well as all of the other senators and representatives 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.
