The Star Rooming House (Uberuaga-Aguirre House) 512 W. Idaho Street

Built in 1895, The Star was among Boise’s first Basque boarding houses and accommodated up to thirty boarders a time. Original owners Jose “Arotza” and Felipa (Guarrochena) Uberuaga opened their boarding house in 1903, and in 1911 constructed a canopy-covered Basque handball court (fronton). The front wall ran adjacent to the alley and remnants of the walls are still evident today. Francisco “Zapatero” Aguirre and his wife Gabina (Goitia) owned and operated The Star from 1915 until 1972 where Francisco ran a shoe store and repair shop out of the building’s front porch and Gabina managed the daily operations of the business. The property underwent restoration in 1973 and subsequently ended its status as a boarding house. It has since been owned by other businesses, and although the interior has been remodeled and enhanced over the years, the exterior has retained most of its original appearance.