521 W Grove Street - Kaixo Corner
Public Space
A partnership between Capital City Development Corp. (CCDC), Boise Parks and Recreation, and the Boise City Department of Arts & History to bring a new public space to downtown that celebrates the history of the Old Boise Neighborhood.
About the Project
In January 2022, CCDC purchased a 0.21-acre parcel located at 521 W. Grove Street to create a public park space that celebrates the multicultural aspects of the Old Boise Neighborhood. The following year, in January 2023, CCDC, together with Boise Parks and Recreation and the Boise City Department of Arts & History, kicked off the 521 W. Grove Street project with a public outreach effort aimed at gathering feedback to guide the design of the future park site and public art. The project design team has since been diligently developing and guiding the project forward and, in the process, selected Hua Design Studio through a Call to Artists to provide public art for the space.
The Old Boise Blocks on Grove Street is an area of the Old Boise neighborhood on the east side of downtown where focused investment—both public and private—is underway. Several new residential buildings have been completed adjacent to the new park’s location, bringing residents back to the neighborhood. Additionally, a new hotel and commercial spaces have been built nearby. The new park space will serve as a public amenity and gathering place for nearby residents, employees, and visitors to downtown Boise.
In December 2023, the City of Boise executed a contract with the artist team to design and implement integrated public art into the overall public space design. Since then, the artists have completed extensive research and design work in collaboration with the public space design team.
The artists’ conceptual design is comprised of four individual art elements honoring and celebrating the history of immigration in Boise. The artists strive to recognize the multitude of hands and cultures that built and shaped this place over many eras, bringing to light a unique tapestry of voices that have been both visible and hidden from modern memory. Ancestral Pillars and Storylines, Sky River, and Dreamscape will tie together an artistic vision of migration, culture and ecology, stories, memories, and dreams.
The project masterplan has been approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission, City Council and City of Boise Design Review. Construction began in January 2025 and is anticipated to be complete by Summer 2025.
Contact
Toby Norton is the project manager on this project.