The Mode Building stands at the north corner of 8th and Idaho in downtown Boise, Idaho. Completed in 1895, the building housed the Mode, Ltd., a high-end department store until 1991 when the store closed. Predecessor firm, Hummel, Hummel & Jones was hired in 1958 to rebuild and remodel the building after a fire destroyed the building and its merchandise. Unfortunately, we don’t have interior photos of the completed store, but the plans show the layout of the fixtures when it reopened in 1959.

“Upon its completed construction in 1895, the structure accommodated for the Mode Ltd., recognized as an impressive, high-class department store unique to the area. Harry Falk, a member of the well-known Falk Department Store family, insisted upon the Mode’s development and hired the Boise developer John Broadbent for its establishment. [Local architect, Frank Paradice, Jr. drew up the original plans.]

On June 18th, 1958, the Mode Building was scarred by a disastrous fire. The blaze started in the basement, and even with the efforts of all of Boise’s firemen, citizens watched as the fire and water destroyed the building and its precious merchandise. [The firm, Hummel, Hummel & Jones was hired to redesign and reconstruct the store in 1958. Known at the time for their sweeping staircases in other downtown stores like Carroll’s and Brookover’s, HH&J added a similar staircase to the design.]

With the reopening on April 16th, 1959, the building’s integrity was kept intact. Boise citizens were delighted to see the additions of a bridal consultant, upgraded booths in the salon, and an expanded tearoom. The expanded Mode Tea Room had become a downtown destination since the birth of the Mode in 1895. While the exterior retained its classic look, the interior was modernized for its full function.

Falk sold the store to JJ and Ethel Chapman in 1938. Ethel Chapman sold the building to James Ruark, the manager of the Falk building, in 1969. Under Ruark, the building went under yet another remodeling project in 1988 to install escalators as well as an upgrade of the building’s interior.”

(Source: Idaho Architecture Project, accessed 1/5/2023)