Nathan M. & Nancy Callender
Natalie & Mark Westcott
Nathan R. & Amanda, Mabel, Henry Moses
Home of Moses and Helena Alexander, Emma, Henrietta, Nathan and Leha
Moses Alexander was elected mayor of Boise in 1897. That year, his new home on State Street between Third and Fourth was ready to occupy. The mayor’s wife, Helena, had seen a picture in the newspaper with floor plans for a two-story house with many gables. Following these guides, two carpenters managed to construct the wood-frame building. The foundation was Boise Tablerock sandstone.
From the street, the house was a celebration of late Victorian Queen Anne style. Its asymmetrical features included a wraparound front porch, bay windows, ornamental shingles, a tower, turned columns and a balustrade. In 1900, the second floor acquired a bay window with stained glass panes. (Glass technology had advanced to allow large, curved window panes.)
Three generations of Alexanders enjoyed the elaborate house. It was spacious, with a first-floor entry hall, parlor, dining room large enough for dancing and kitchen. One of the four Alexander children, Leha, held her wedding there, followed by dinner for sixteen. Bedrooms were upstairs, and each floor had a bathroom. The house had central heating from a coal-fired furnace and radiators in every room, but lacked insulation. While serving as Idaho's governor from 1914 to 1918, Alexander walked the three blocks to the Statehouse (which was handy, since he didn't drive a car).
In 1977, Nathan Alexander, Moses' grandson, sold the house to the State of Idaho, which has since used it for offices and special events. The Alexander House is on the National Register of Historic Places.