Photo credit: Steve Bly

The College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs (SSPA) is set to debut “Quintessential Boise,” the first book in its Idaho Metropolitan Research Series, at an April 22 book signing featuring its two storied authors.

Written by legendary Boise architect Charles Hummel and Tim Woodward, a Boise native and long-time journalist, “Quintessential Boise” is a lavishly illustrated tour of Boise architecture that searches for the elements that define Boise and make the city unique. Other contributors to the book include local writer and journalist Jeanne Huff and Boise State history professor Todd Shallat, director of the Center for Idaho History and Politics.

Photo credit: Otto Kitsinger

“This book is dedicated to the proposition that streets and their buildings are keys to the life of a city and that good architecture, like good books, should engage the public in readable and provocative ways,” wrote Melissa Lavitt, dean of SSPA and editor of the Idaho Metropolitan Research Series, in the book’s foreword. “Part history and part social science, with contributions from more than a dozen of Boise’s best photographers and artists, the book launches a series about cities and the dynamics of growth.”

Boise State, SSPA and the City of Boise will co-host the book signing for “Quintessential Boise.” The event will feature Hummel, Woodward and other authors and artists from Boise State and the community involved in books of popular scholarship about Idaho and the West. The event runs from 5-6:30 p.m. at Border’s Books in Boise Towne Square mall, 330 N. Milwaukee St. Moving forward, Border’s will feature Boise State publications on a wide range of topics in its local interests section.

Published with generous financial support from the Boise City Department of Arts and History, “Quintessential Boise” includes:
•    Commentary on architectural traditions and styles
•    Analysis of growth and transportation patterns
•    Dazzling photography, both contemporary and historical
•    Art prints from the City of Boise’s collection
•    History and maps of neighborhood sub-regions
•    Personal reflections on downtown Boise’s urban renewal

Painting of downtown Boise by Karen Woods

“Boise’s skylines and streetscapes are filled with architectural marvels that embody our city’s rich heritage and point toward its promising future,” said Boise Mayor David Bieter. “Even those of us who think we know this community well will be amazed at the insights that Charles Hummel and Tim Woodward serve up, page after page, in ‘Quintessential Boise.’ This compelling, beautiful book is about all of us.”

Boise State’s Idaho Metropolitan Research Series is a new literary scholarship series that explores urban-rural concerns that complicate regional planning. Topics include housing, transportation, crime, social welfare, conservation, energy, municipal politics, and the need for new ideas that foster sustainable growth.

For more information about “Quintessential Boise” and the Idaho Metropolitan Research Series, visit www.boisestate.edu/research/pubs/metro-series.asp.