COEUR d’ALENE — It was a garden party nearly 140 years in the making.

More than 100 people gathered Sunday afternoon in Phippeny Park to celebrate the Garden District’s listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

“It means that our neighborhood is important not only to the history of Coeur d’Alene and the state of Idaho, but now, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, it’s important to the nation, as well,” said Walter Burns, chair of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.

The Garden District is one of Coeur d’Alene’s oldest neighborhoods, featuring houses built primarily from 1890 to 1940. With more than 500 primary buildings and nearly 400 outbuildings, the district stretches roughly from Lakeside Avenue to Montana Avenue and from Fifth Street to 11th Street.

For Burns, Sunday’s celebration was a moment to recognize the many community members who contributed to the project. It all began in 2018, with a small group of Garden District residents who wondered if it might be possible to get their neighborhood on the register.

Burns said the Garden District’s new designation and successful efforts to preserve other local gems like the Roosevelt Inn and the Hamilton House show what can happen when a community comes together.

“Grassroots public support of historic preservation is a very powerful tool,” he said.

It was gratifying to gather with neighbors and celebrate, at long last.

“I am so excited,” he said, unable to contain a laugh. “I can’t believe it’s actually happening. It’s a wonderful feeling. It almost makes me want to jump up and down.”

The designation doesn’t confer any special protections for properties in the district, Burns noted, and homeowners are still free to do what they like with their properties. But he hopes the Garden District’s new status makes property owners think twice before making major changes, so the neighborhood’s unique character can be preserved for future generations.

“We’re grateful to have it, but we want to save it,” he said.

Brandon Voit was among the neighbors who came out to celebrate their treasured district. His family, including twin boys, resides in the Garden District home where his late grandfather once lived, giving them a deeply rooted connection to the neighborhood.

“There’s a new generation filling up the house,” he said with a smile.

Voit said he was proud to see the Garden District receive such recognition. The number of neighbors who gathered in the park Sunday showed the kind of culture that has been fostered in the area for generations.

“The Garden District is such a tight-knit community,” he said. “It’s a historical moment for a beautiful neighborhood.”

Coeur d’Alene City Councilor Kiki Miller beamed when she drew back the cloth covering a plaque in Phippeny Park that commemorates the district’s designation. She is the city council’s liaison to the Historic Preservation Commission and was “instrumental” in its formation in 2019, Burns said.

Miller said she was proud to see the community celebrate what they had achieved together.

“It’s just really a joy,” she said.

    Brandon Voit holds his son on his shoulders as they join their neighbors to celebrate the Garden District's new designation.
  

    Walter Burns, chair of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, addresses a crowd Sunday.
  

    A plaque in Phippeny Park commemorates the Garden District's place on the National Register of Historic Places.