Coeur d'Alene honors Roosevelt School preservation effort at museum event

Keeping Roosevelt School standing has done more than preserve a brick landmark on Wallace Avenue. It kept a 1905 building tied to Coeur d’Alene’s early identity in productive use, preserved a parcel valued at about $2.2 million, and stopped downtown from losing one of its most recognizable historic structures.

That preservation effort will be recognized Friday, May 22, when the City of Coeur d’Alene and the Museum of North Idaho host a Historic Preservation Reception at 5:30 p.m. at the museum and present the Heart of History Awards. The honor is meant to spotlight the grassroots push that saved Roosevelt School from demolition, and the museum is also planning special tours during Preservation Month to keep local attention on buildings that still shape neighborhood character.

The Roosevelt School case has become one of the clearest examples of how local preservation now works in Coeur d’Alene. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission, established in 2019, reviews demolition permits for buildings originally constructed before 1960 before a permit can be issued, with exceptions for dangerous structures and interior remodels. That policy grew out of a broader recognition that older buildings are not just sentimental objects; they are part of the city’s land-use decisions, civic memory and economic base.

The fight over Roosevelt School sharpened in 2024, when Blue Fern Development said it hoped to preserve the historic building and work with the city and residents on a solution rather than tear it down. Many residents voiced concern at a Coeur d’Alene City Council meeting, and thousands signed an online petition calling for the school to be saved. Mayor Jim Hammond called the chance to save the building “huge,” while Museum of North Idaho director Britt Thurman said the Roosevelt was one of many historic buildings in the community that need protection.

The building’s history made the stakes especially high. Earlier coverage described Roosevelt School as Coeur d’Alene’s first high school and said President Theodore Roosevelt visited it. The school district exchanged the then-unused property in 1974 for a larger parcel near Ramsey Road, and the Roosevelt Inn later opened there about 30 years ago. By August 2025, Steve and Marie Widmyer had closed on the purchase after the property had been in escrow for about a year. Steve Widmyer, who attended grades one through four there starting in 1966, said he remembered the school well and helped quietly behind the scenes as public pressure mounted.

The Heart of History Awards have now recognized Hamilton House in 2023, The Depot in 2024 and Clark’s Diamond Jewelers in 2025. Roosevelt School joins that list as proof that in Coeur d’Alene, preservation is not just about memory. It is about who gets to decide what downtown looks like next.