Boyd House

By 1910, the Queen Anne style had lost much of its allure. Once admired, its artistic jumble of angles, textures, and colors had become reviled as cluttered and artificial. This rejection of complexity was gradual, and many houses—like this transitional Queen Anne/Colonial Revival style home—pursued a cleaner look while retaining some traditional late Victorian features.

In this case, those features include a wraparound porch, corbelled chimney, beveled and leaded glass windows, and a shingled front gable. The rough-dressed sandstone windowsills and lintels contrast with the home’s dark brick. The 1908 home’s hipped roof, pedimented entranceway, and relative simplicity reflect a more modern taste.

James and Frances Boyd, who built this house, lived here until their deaths in 1946 and 1947, respectively. The Boyds took in middle-class boarders, who included at various times an accountant, a student, and a librarian. James’s brother and business partner, Gilbert, also shared their home. The Boyd brothers owned a large plumbing business and invested in real estate.

Their projects included plumbing the Deaconess Hospital and constructing the nearby Teton Apartments.