St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral (Boise, Idaho)


St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral in Boise, Idaho, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of Idaho.

History

The first services of the Episcopal Church were celebrated in Boise in August 1864 and St. Michael's Church was organized that year by the Rev. Saint Michael Fackler. Two years later the first church building was constructed. It was the first Episcopal church in what is now Idaho, Montana and Utah. The building, later renamed Christ Chapel, stands today on the campus of Boise State University. The women's auxiliary staged concerts, dances and socials and the proceeds went toward the building of the present church building. Construction for the cathedral began on September 7, 1899 and it was completed the following year. The debt was paid off in 1902 and the church was consecrated on May 25 of that year.
In the past St. Michael's parishioners supported two other Episcopal institutions in Boise. St. Margaret's Hall, a school for girls, was founded in 1892. Because of the Great Depression the Rt. Rev. Middleton Barnwell converted the school into Boise Junior College in 1932. The school became independent in 1934 and is now Boise State University. St. Luke's Hospital was founded six months after the cathedral's dedication. It is now run by an independent non-profit board.
The cathedral tower was part of the original design by architect Henry Martyn Congdon, but it was not completed until 1949.
The cathedral was included in the Boise Capitol Area District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.