Bonneville County officials inviting community to celebrate courthouse centennial
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IDAHO FALLS – It’s been more than 100 years since the Bonneville County Courthouse was built, and officials are inviting the community to a centennial celebration.
It’s happening Saturday, May 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 605 North Capital Avenue in Idaho Falls. The Idaho Falls Symphony Quartet will perform on the main floor, along with the Bonneville High School Ballroom Dance Team.
There will be a program in the upper rotunda at 2 p.m. with several speakers, including several county commissioners and keynote speaker Linden Bateman, former state legislator and charter member of the Bonneville County Historical Society.
“It’s going to be a grand event. We have a really unique courthouse. That skylight in there and all that stained glass is so beautiful, but very few know that it’s even there,” Bateman tells EastIdahoNews.com.
A stained glass window on the ceiling inside the basement is the largest in the state, Bateman says, though he doesn’t know the exact measurements. It hasn’t been cleaned in decades and Commissioner Bryon Reed was hoping to get it cleaned and lit up prior to the event, but it’s not going to happen until June.
“Years ago when it was cleaner, you’d see the sun come through this gold and yellow (window) and there was a wistful, beautiful effect it created. One wouldn’t expect to see that in such a plain county building. When you get inside and see that skylight and all the beautiful tile, it’s really remarkable,” Bateman says.
Though the actual centennial was in 2021, Reed says they weren’t prepared for a big celebration at that time. Since then, the county has put together a video montage of old photos that will be playing on a wall inside the courthouse. They’re planning to make it available online once the celebration is over.
Courthouse history
Courthouse construction began on Dec. 1, 1919, according to a written history provided by the county. The neo-classical architecture was designed by Fisher & Aitkins.
The cost of the building was $268,880, which voters funded by passing a bond. It was completed on March 16, 1921 — 10 years after the creation of Bonneville County.
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“After it was completed, they had a fabulous celebration. At that time, the population of the county was about 8,000 people and most people showed up,” Bateman says.
A band played on the main floor and people danced. Locals lined up to tour the building. A historic photo above shows people standing on the courthouse steps on the day of the dedication.
Before the building’s completion, Bateman says the original courthouse was in a building on the southeast corner of Broadway and Capital. The building no longer exists but the Idaho Falls Public Library occupies the space where it was located.
Eventually, the space became inadequate for the growing population and the county bought the property for the current courthouse in 1912.
“There was nothing out there (at the time). C Street was vacant, it was just a countryside,” Bateman says.
It’s not clear why that spot was selected but the fact that it was near the east bank of the Snake River may have had something to do with it.
Bateman, 84, was born in Idaho Falls in 1940. He has childhood memories of the courthouse being a “hub of activity” in those early days. He remembers participating in a Halloween costume contest at the courthouse as a 9-year-old boy and desperately trying to get the judges to notice him.
“My mom made me a devil’s costume and she dyed my face with bright red beat juice. I had red horns to go with it and it was scary,” Bateman recalls. “I followed the judges, kept on their tail and I could never get one to look at me.”
Bateman also remembers when the sheriff’s office and jail were originally in the basement of the building. He was friends with Fred Keefer, who was a Bonneville County deputy for more than 20 years. Keefer gave him a tour of the cells.
“One of his main responsibilities was to feed the prisoners in the jail. He enjoyed that. There were a couple of prisoner escapes under (his watch),” says Bateman.
A symbol resembling a swastika on the courthouse’s main floor tile has raised some eyebrows over the years. Reed says the symbol that eventually became the logo of the Nazi party was originally a symbol for prosperity. That’s the reason it was included in the courthouse.
At the dedication of the courthouse, county commissioners projected the building “should be good for 50 years.” It proved to be prophetic because the Law Enforcement Building was added 57 years later in 1978.
“While the annex more than doubled the usable space, no attempt was made to harmonize the architectural styles of old and new,” a written history of the courthouse says.
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With the recent completion of the Idaho Falls Police Department Complex on Northgate Mile, judges will use the extra space at the courthouse to practice law. That transition will happen gradually over the next several months.
Bateman is excited to celebrate the courthouse centennial with the community and he’s inviting everyone to come and participate.
“I assume they’ll put up ribbons and flags just like they did in 1921,” says Bateman. “It’s our history and we should take pride in our county. I hope we get a good turnout.”
