Dedicated to Spc. John Borbonus Uncle "Gerd" and Family Gerhard Borbonus Landscaping Inc.
This nine-story, Depression-era Public Works Administration building served as the Ada County Courthouse from 1939 to 1999. Designed in Art Deco style by architectural firms Tourtellotte & Hummel and Wayland & Fennell, it was built by Boise contractor J.O. Jordan & Son of reinforced concrete faced with Indiana limestone. Inside were offices, courtrooms and a jail, as well as Idaho’s largest collection of WPA mural art: 26 murals painted on canvas by Southern California Art Project artists, completed in 1940.
After an intense preservation struggle early in the 21st century, the State of Idaho bought the building. The Idaho Legislature convened in the building in 2008, while the Statehouse was being renovated. On Sept. 24, 2015, a collaborative effort between the University of Idaho College of Law and the Idaho Supreme Court to enhance legal education and civic engagement bore fruit. The Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center opened, housing the Idaho State Law Library and the Boise campus for students attending the University of Idaho College of Law.
In 2010, a memorial proposed by the Idaho National Guard to remember “every fallen soldier who died in a foreign land to protect our freedom and liberty” was erected in front of the building at 600 W. Jefferson St. The plaza contains two walls listing names of Idahoans killed since the global war on terrorism began after 9/11/01.