In 1886 Boise had a single national bank and Idaho’s growing mining and agricultural production offered conditions for another financial house. Alfred Eoff, a freelance economic agent operating across the American West since the 1860s, took advantage of this opportunity. Encouraged by Wells Fargo & Company treasurer Henry Wadsworth to seize the opportunity, Eoff established Boise City National Bank in 1886. Situated near Main Street and Capitol Boulevard, it was established as a competitor to the First National Bank of Idaho. Wadsworth acted as City National’s president while Eoff became its cashier, becoming part of Wells Fargo’s growing presence in the American West.
\nWadsworth’s recommendations proved sound. By 1890, City National Bank’s portfolio included over $620,000 in financial assets, with $65,000 held in securities alone. Idaho’s population boom increased City National’s business, requiring a larger building as the initial bank became too small to house its customers and resources, including cash, deeds, or precious metals. This led City National Bank’s board to construct a three-story building designed by local architect James King that could house both the bank and rentable commercial and office space. This new structure housed not only the bank but also the United States Marshals’ and Surveyor’s Offices as well as Idaho’s federal district court after its completion in 1892.
\nDespite the 1890s economic downturn, City National’s portfolio continually increased, with total assets totaling $870,000 by 1900. Continued growth led to the addition of a fourth story commercial club in 1904 and renovations in 1913, all designed by John Tourtellotte & Company who also planned Idaho’s State Capitol. The commercial club catered to its patrons, who likely consisted of influential stockmen, farmers, and investors, offering amenities such as a dining district, billiards parlor, cardroom, lounge, writing room, and a library.
\nBy 1905, Wadsworth retired and Frank R. Coffin became City National’s new president. Coffin, previously lured west from Indiana, first settled in California as a tinsmith and later became a gold miner in Idaho’s 1860 gold strike. He served as Idaho’s first state treasurer from 1891-93, treasurer of the Artesian Hot and Cold Power Company, one of the state's leading utility corporations, and president of the Boise Clearinghouse Association, a local financial institution. Serving as president until he died in 1920, Coffin further expanded City National’s reach until it became Idaho's second-largest national bank, with $1.6 million in total assets.
\nBy 1932, during the strain of the Great Depression, City National voluntarily closed, citing depleted reserves. It argued that closure was the best option for depositors, with the remaining $2.5 million in accounts distributed among its clients. After its closure, various owners occupied the bank building, including the Idaho Building and Loan Association and the J. R. Simplot Company, one of Idaho’s largest corporations. Today it is owned by Rocky Mountain Management, and houses many offices and commercial businesses.
","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"","lede":"Opened in 1886, the Boise City National Bank quickly became one of the largest financial houses in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, operating for a total of forty-six years.","website":"","related_resources":["“Boise Bank Closes,” The Idaho Statesman, Aug 01, 1932. The Idaho Statesman Archives. Courtesy of Newspapers.com https://is.gd/az5W2Y. ","Boise Redevelopment Agency. “Historic American Buildings Survey: Boise City National Bank (Simplot Building)” Library of Congress, ca. 1980. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/id0014/. ","“Crawford Moore, Banks Fail To Open” The Post-Register, August 31, 1932. The Post Register Archives. Courtesy of Newspapers.com. https://is.gd/PgrAUA.","“Frank R. Coffin” City of Boise: Pioneer Cemetery Walking Tour, 2023. https://is.gd/jItZwk","French, Hiram T., “Frank R. Coffin” from History of Idaho, Volume II, 1914 http://genealogytrails.com/ida/idahostate/bios/bios_letc.html. ","Friedberg, Ira S., and Arthur L. Friedberg. Paper Money of the United States: A Complete Illustrated Guide With Valuations. 22nd ed. Williston, Vermont: Coin and Currency Institute, 2021.","Hawley, Josh., History of Idaho: The Gem of the Mountains, Volume II. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1920. https://is.gd/HZzwNn. ","Hibbard, Don., “National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Boise City National Bank/Simplot Building” National Parks Service Digital Asset Management System, 1978. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/4403f77c-e841-4eb2-ab1f-9ce35c8a5d32. ","“Idaho Pioneer Succumbs,” The Spokesman-Review, May 26, 1920. The Spokesman-Review Archives. Courtesy of Newspapers.com https://is.gd/PZhCrm.","“Roundup of Local-ities” Idaho Semi-Weekly Word, March 09, 1886. Newspapers.com. Courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society. https://is.gd/9OEFPs.","United States Comptroller of the Currency. “Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency, Volume II” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 1890. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-comptroller-currency-56/1890-19107. ","United States Comptroller of the Currency. “Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency, Volume II” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 1900. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-comptroller-currency-56/1900-19127. ","United States Comptroller of the Currency. “Alphabetical List of National Banks by States” Library of Congress, 1912. https://www.loc.gov/item/12035669/. ","United States Comptroller of the Currency. “Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 1920. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-comptroller-currency-56/1920-19141.","United States Comptroller of the Currency. “Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 1932. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-comptroller-currency-56/1932-19153/report-comptroller-currency-172498. ","“Wells Fargo & Co.,” The Free Press, August 22, 1885. The Free Press Archives. Courtesy of Newspapers.com https://is.gd/PZJeYu. "],"factoids":["Boise City National Bank printed several denominations of national bank notes, including $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100, across three distinct printing series: 1882, 1902, and 1929. The 1902 Series came in two varieties: some displaying red seals and others having blue seals, while the 1929 Series came in one type out of two, each with different charter number placements. Printing series dates do not align with the note’s printing date, rather they determine the bill’s design period. Current estimates conclude that ninety-three notes exist today, an exceptional amount compared to most national banks.
"],"files":{"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/b717659bdc02604d2951ecfeaba1dac4.jpg":{"id":3504,"mime-type":"image/png","title":"Boise City National Bank","description":"A photograph of Boise City National Bank’s original interior, dated 1888. This location, located off Capitol Boulevard (previously Seventh Street) and Main Street, housed City National from 1886 until the new headquarters was completed by James King in 1892. Pictured is the bank’s main room, where clients could make withdrawals and deposits. The man located in the foreground, in between the teller windows, is Alfred Eoff, City National’s original cashier and co-founder.
| “Boise City National Bank,” Idaho State Archives Digital Collections, 1888. Courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society. https://is.gd/aveu82.","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/b717659bdc02604d2951ecfeaba1dac4.jpg"},"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/a27c362611a861acd42274b7649ba4e9.jpg":{"id":3505,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Old Vault in Basement","description":"Interior view from 1974 depicting the Boise City National Bank’s vault. This area is where the bank would store customer deposits, printed currency, precious metals, stocks, or anything of financial value. The vault also housed any federal assets allocated at the bank, a task all national banks were obligated to perform by the national government as a condition of federal charter. It is indetermined whether the bank vault was used by later businesses or served a functional purpose.
| “Old Vault in Basement.” Historic American Buildings Survey, 1980. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/id0014.photos.058922p/resource/. ","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/a27c362611a861acd42274b7649ba4e9.jpg"},"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/5d8c61439f3b1f5068082b8245d422e7.jpg":{"id":3506,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Plan of First Floor Commercial Club","description":"Original fourth floor plan of the Boise City National Bank’s commercial club per Tourtellotte & Hummel’s blueprints, c. 1904. The expense put into this complex was extensive, indicating the club’s high membership fees. Amenities included a café with several private dining rooms, a billiard parlor, lounge, cardroom, writing room, and a dedicated library. Furthermore, the commercial club also contained the presence of an electrified elevator (highlighted in yellow), a relatively new technology in the 1900s.
| “Plan of First Floor Commercial Club.” Historic American Buildings Survey, c. 1890. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/id0014.photos.058925p/resource/. ","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/5d8c61439f3b1f5068082b8245d422e7.jpg"},"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/d341ac09c39c4a375b38911539a14a0a.jpg":{"id":3508,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Boise City, Ada County, Idaho","description":"A portion of the 1893 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Boise City, Idaho, sheet 11. The Boise City National Bank lies on the far-right lower corner, labeled “Bank,” facing East Eighth Street at the bottom and West Idaho Street to the right. Writing at the bottom center “I.O.O.F. Block,” potentially indicates the block’s popular name, as their hall existed in a complex left of City National. The red coloring designates brick construction, while the blue border wrapping around the property specifies a stone façade.
| Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Boise City, Ada County, Idaho. Sanborn Map Company, Jan 1893. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4274bm.g015691893/?sp=11&st=image&r=0.431,0.096,0.722,0.563,0. ","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/d341ac09c39c4a375b38911539a14a0a.jpg"},"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/df6bdd4a5a10b2dfbb1b1198947d7a83.jpg":{"id":3509,"mime-type":"image/png","title":"One Third Of A Century Of Banking Service","description":"An advertisement from The Idaho Statesman for the Boise City National Bank. While Boise City National was not the oldest bank in the city, it was regularly the largest in terms of investments. This advertisement capitalizes off that success by combining it with the bank’s long-term commercial existence, connecting longevity with stability. Notice towards the bottom how “United States Depositary” is mentioned. This was a common marketing tactic for national banks, as they were under the responsibility to house any federal assets, usually precious metals, and saw that as a prestigious marketing ploy to attract customers.
| “One Third Of A Century Of Banking Service” The Idaho Statesman, January 4, 1920. The Idaho Statesman Archives, Courtesy of Newspapers.com.https://is.gd/1HhbPe. ","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/df6bdd4a5a10b2dfbb1b1198947d7a83.jpg"},"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/b73ef04cc58158f4c42e1c654d096a2f.jpg":{"id":3510,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Portrait of Franklin R. Coffin","description":"Portrait of Franklin R. Coffin, dated 1918, contemporary president of the Boise City National Bank. Coffin presided over the bank’s largest growth period in Boise. He held the presidency from 1907 until his death in 1920, aged 82.
| “Portrait of Franklin R. Coffin” 1918. Idaho State Archives Digital Collections. Courtesy of Idaho State Archive. https://is.gd/2NbSgU.","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/b73ef04cc58158f4c42e1c654d096a2f.jpg"},"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/8985d2e26ad6da390e8b69eddf75a39e.jpg":{"id":3511,"mime-type":"image/png","title":"1902 $100 national bank note","description":"A 1902 Series $100 national bank note from Boise City National Bank photographed by Heritage Auctions. The bold “3471” indicates the bank’s charter number, assigned at creation. $100 national bank notes are more valuable than lower denominations, as banks printed fewer high-denomination bills. John J. Knox, pictured left, a U.S. Army Major, became known for his work in the Freedman’s Bureau, a federal humanitarian agency that assisted manumitted slaves during Reconstruction. The grading condition “15” indicates that this note received a fair amount of use in circulation but remains in good condition visually. Interestingly, this bill lacks signatures from City National’s president and cashier. Also observe that this is larger than modern U.S. currency. In 1929, the Treasury decreased the size of bank notes from 7.375 x 3.125 inches to 6.14 x 2.61 inches. The note pictured sold for $2,640 in 2018.
| Heritage Auctions. “$100 1902 Date Back Fr. 690 Boise City NB Ch. # 3471,” available at https://is.gd/3tBc8o. ","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/8985d2e26ad6da390e8b69eddf75a39e.jpg"}}}