The Owyhee Hotel (1109 W. Main Street, Boise) was designed by Tourtellotte and Hummel in 1909 as Boise’s second grand hotel. An ad in the Idaho Statesman claimed the Owyhee as the “most modern and complete commercial and tourist hotel between Chicago and San Francisco. But by the late 1950s, tourists traveling by automobile preferred the convenience of parking near your room and unloading your suitcases directly into your room rather than contend with bell captains, porters, elevators, and other costly hotel amenities.

Expanding into a lot located at the corner of Grove and 11th Street, behind the six-story hotel, The Owyhee hired Hummel, Hummel & Jones to design a motor motel. This motel would meet the needs of automobile travelers and compete with other similar downtown motels (like the Travelodge, later converted to The Modern). The Owyhee Motor Inn was built in 1957 by C.B. Lauch Construction for around $150,000. The motel featured a courtyard with swimming pool surrounded by a serpentine brick wall that sheltered and shielded the pool and patio from the nearby parking lot.

This portion of The Owyhee was demolished during the major building’s renovation in 2014. The site of the Owyhee Motor Inn is currently under development as the Hotel RenEgAde, a new boutique hotel. As in the 1950s, this area of downtown Boise proves to be conveniently located for tourism or business travel.