Boise's Basque Block

Kaixo!

Welcome to Boise's famous Basque Block.  If you're not Basque or not a Boisean you might be asking yourself what is Basque?  Well knucklehead, the Basques are a group of people who's culture and language originate from a region  located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-eastern Spain and south-western France.  Boise is home to one of, if not the largest, population of Basques in the United States.

The Boise Basque Block is the cultural hub of Basque pride and activity.  If you've never been to a party on Boise's Basque block do yourself a favor and get down here.

There are a number of elements that make the Basque Block a very pedestrian friendly, aesthetically pleasing and popular Boise destination.



The Block features three restaurants with outside patios, one of which, Bardenay, is a distillery and makes KILLER gin.  The street is decorated with large colorful designs, lined with trees, artwork and information on the Basque culture.

For special events like weddings, receptions and Basque holidays the street is closed to automobiles and people get crazy Beale Street style.  The Block doesn't have any curbs which makes this space fantastic for foot traffic when all fueled up on Kalimotxos.

Look Ma.  No Curbs.

The only real drawback the Basque Block has is the large open parking lot on the north side of the street....  Are you seeing a pattern here?  We don't like parking lots.  At all.  Especially in downtown Boise.  If it was up to us there would be no surface parking anywhere near downtown Boise.  Infill projects are desperately needed to help make the downtown area a more urban, usable, attractive place.  Parking lots are sooo 1950.  Let's get with the times Boise.

Parking Lot.  Booooo.

So how does this rant about parking lots and my favorite Gin relate to landscaping?  The Gin doesn't really.  But the design elements of the Basque Block can be easily incorporated into a residential or commercial design.  Openness, pedestrian friendliness, no parking lots, gin and kalimotxos.  Perfection. 

I feel a fullblown rant on Boise's ridiculous parking lots coming on...  Stay tuned for that.

Topa!

Krisjan

Won't You Be My Patio?

Continuing le tour de downtown Boise Will and I found ourselves walking north on Sixth street.  "Oh shit look at this sign."  "Yeah, I heard they closed."   All too common in our town right now; another business closed their doors for good.

 

This particular sign is hanging on the front door of the Melting Pot.  A day or so after we saw this sign I was stoked to hear the Melting Pot has new owners and will be reopening soon.  Viva melty cheese and wine.  Take that recession.

Anyhoo, I've been to the Melting Pot a hand full of times but have never been on their patio.  The patio is located just off the north side of the building.  It's small, intimate, simple and super cool.  The west side of the patio is right on 6th street with only a wrought iron gate to define the patio from the side walk.  It reminds me of a place in Napa Kama and I checked out a few years back.  The other three sides are brick building, big trees and brick wall. 

I have never wanted to have a smaller backyard than I have now; until now.  If I had a small backyard I would make it look essentially just like this.  Very minimal grass, mostly saw-cut concrete patio, trees lining the fence line furthest from the house and both sides of the yard and mobile furniture.  

As far as backyard living spaces this would be one of the most modern, comfortable, usable, maintenance-free, unique and functional back yards around.

I can see it now.  This is my backyard.  Rather than mow the grass and fix the sprinklers I water some potted flowers and sweep the patio with a broom.  As the sun comes up over the back fence I move a chair into the sun, grab a book and sip a mint julep.  I don't know how to make a mint julep, but if this was my patio I would totally learn how.

Cheers,

Krisjan

The Grove Plaza

As Krisjan mentioned in an earlier post he and I have been doing a little bit of exploring around the great city we live in. There are many different aspects of Boise that really set it apart from many other areas. The small town feel with hidden spaces that seem to just be nestled into the fabric of a growing city.

One of the first areas that we decided we should document is maybe one of the most known areas to local residents, the Grove Plaza in downtown Boise. It is located near the middle of downtown Boise right between Qwest Arena, The Boise Centre, Main Street and Myrtle St.

Google Location of the Grove Plaza

The Grove Plaza is the home of Boise's popular summertime "Alive After Five" concert series and drunk fest as well as numerous other events throughout the year. There is just one restaurant with a patio in the Grove; The Brick Oven Bistro. The Grove is a pedestrian space only accessible by foot, bicycle, Segway or unicycle.

From a design perspective the Grove is a very successful space. The tree lined walkways form the North (8th & Main) and the South (8th & Front) create a pedestrian's paradise that feels both welcoming and comfortable. These spaces do feel a little bit unused because of the lack of shops or open patio areas that could really bring an unmatched atmosphere to the walkway.

South walkway from BoDo

North entry from 8th St

West entry from 9th St

South walkway from Bodo

The Center of the plaza may be one of the most used spaces. The overall design uses a circular pattern to define a definite center surrounded by two rows of Thornless Honey Locust trees. These trees are starting to reach maturation and create a beautiful tree canopy that allows for a sheltered, relaxing atmosphere. In the center of the plaza is an interactive fountain that allows children to enjoy the cool water in the summer and in the winter a large Christmas tree creates a happy gathering space.

The fountain in the very middle

There are a couple of things that could have made this plaza a little bit more successful. On element is the lack of shops lining the entrances that were mentioned before, and the other is the location of an open parking lot adjacent to the corner of 8th St. and Main St. This is problem that has plagued Boise for many years but they seem to be working on it. I for one cannot wait until they start the infill project to remove the small lot and replace it with more buildings or areas that will help bring the site together as a whole.

Brick Oven Bistro

Adjacent Parking Lot

From the installed art exhibits, Seasonal plantings of flowers and the maturation of a design open space this plaza is one of our favorites. It is inviting and we suggest anyone that has a second take a stroll through it and just enjoy the years of planning and construction that went into giving people a place to relax.

The Grove Plaza

Please enjoy and Cheers!

Will

Will Howard: The Man, The Myth, The Vandal

Here is Will in his element.  Outside.  Studying landscapes.  Using a brand new pen.  Wearing a University of Idaho hat.  For Will, it doesn't get much better than this.

Will is currently designing a number of residential landscapes here in southern Idaho as well as in the Moscow area of northern Idaho.  Will has designed and worked on some of the most unique and innovative residential landscapes to hit the Boise area in quite some time.    He has a tough time telling everybody how rad he is; so I'm going to do it for him.

Check this out:

This is a project Will designed for a backyard in the prestigious North End of Boise.  Do you have a small back yard but want it to be SWEET??  Then you have come to the right place.  Will has designed a number of amazing outside living spaces.

A common misconception about landscape designers and especially landscape architects is they are really expensive.  "I want my yard to be better but I just don't know what to do."  If you have ever had a thought like this a designer or architect is your answer.  Depending on how big your space is and how crazy you want to get,  for as little as a few hundred dollars Will can find out exactly what you are looking for and draw you up a plan.  Once you have a plan you can get all DIY with it or Will can recommend a landscape contractor to make his vision a reality.  It's that easy.  Not intimidating, not pretentious and certainly not amateur. 

Cheers,

Krisjan

The Grove in Downtown Boise

Earlier this week Will and I took a little stroll through downtown Boise.  We discussed life, landscape and what it all means.  One thing we agree on is that downtown Boise needs some help.  There are some really cool and interesting areas downtown.  There are also some areas that with some planning could be so much better. 

The first place we went was the Grove.  Everybody in Boise knows the Grove.  It's pretty much in the middle of downtown right between Qwest Arena, The Boise Centre, Idaho Street and Myrtle St.  It is the home of Boise's popular summertime "Alive After Five" concert series and drunk fest as well as numerous other events throughout the year.  There is just one restaurant with a patio in the Grove; The Brick Oven Bistro.  The Grove is a pedestrian space only accessible by foot, bicycle, Segway or unicycle.  While the Grove is a large open plaza, the four main entryways are essentially alleyways with sterile building walls on both sides.

South walkway from BoDo

North entry from 8th St

West entry from 9th St

South walkway from Bodo

The fountain in the very middle

As a casual observer and consumer of this space, I never paid much attention to its design or lack of functionality.  You have to get to it somehow right? 

In a later post Will will speak to the design elements and why or why not it is the way it is and what could have, should have been done originally to make this a more friendly and usable space.

Until next time,

Krisjan

Stack Rock Design

We are a Boise, Idaho Landscape Design Company that can help with the Landscaping and Construction processes. From the conceptual phase through long term maintenance, please feel free to contact us @ 208.859.9408 with any of your outdoor needs.

At Stack Rock Design we believe that every place can be enjoyable. No need to settle because of budget issues. Even the simplest enhancement such as the correctly placed stone or inherent linkages can improve your man made space.

In this blog you will find our unique take on design, sustainability and function of landscapes and spaces throughout the northwest. First we are focusing on our town, Boise Idaho.

ABOUT:

Will Howard is a practicing landscape designer (One day Landscape Architect) from Bruneau Idaho with a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Idaho. Will has spent the vast majority of his life planning, managing and designing large irrigation and landscape projects. His favorite color is blue and his dog is disturbingly small. Will and his better half Traci currently reside in beautiful Avimor just outside of Eagle Idaho. Will has incredible vision and knowledge of planning, landscape architecture and landscape construction. It is this very unique blend of experience, knowledge and education that makes Will one of the top Landscape Designers around.

Krisjan Hiner is a sales and marketing professional with a degree in Communication form Boise State University. Krisjan has spent the majority of his adult life taking photographs, selling and marketing within the northwestern construction industry. With a passion for customer service and a thirst for Pinot Noir Krisjan's main objective is to make sure you know Will and what he can do for you. Krisjan lives in West Boise with his stable of canines and his very own keeper Kama. Without Kama Krisjan would likely be living under a bridge or in a box somewhere.

But enough about us. Let's get started on this journey and figure out what makes Boise landscapes unique, how they could be better and how we can incorporate some of these elements into your home or business outside environment.

Join us, won't you?