“You could ride the streetcar to the
amusement park in front of the Nat.
The fare was a nickel.”
1892: “The Nat” – Boise’s First Health Club
Parks &
Recreation
The Boise River Greenbelt Historical Education Project was
produced in 1990 by the Ada County Centennial Committee
Photos by permission of the Idaho Historical Society
“Bathing Beauties” at
Boise Natatorium circa
1930
The Nat was such a popular recreation
spot that around the year 1900 White
City amusement park was added to the
grounds in front of the building. It was
complete with a roller coaster, a miniature
railroad, and an outdoor dance pavilion.
In the late 1920’s the Nat began to
deteriorate. In 1934, a storm blew
off the roof and the building was
condemned and later torn down.
John C. Paulsen, the architect
who designed the Natatorium,
also designed five other buildings
in Boise, including the mansion of
a wealthy businessman on Warm
Springs Avenue.
ISHS 63-97-2
Mark Baltes
ISHS 75-70-1a
Natatoriums, popular with the health-conscious people
of the nineteenth century, were like early-day health
clubs. Above this marker stood one of the largest and
most elegant in the Northwest. The Boise “Nat” was
built in 1892 and was designed in the exotic Moorish
style with spectacular six-story towers and a huge
half-dome roof with arched windows. The luxurious
interior included fancy saloons, gamerooms, cafes, and
dining rooms. Fed by natural hot springs, the giagantic
pool was decorated with hanging ferns and featured a
cascading artificial waterfall made of piled-up stones
and a 47-foot high diving board.
N A T
Mark Baltes
The pool at the Boise Nat was said to be
the largest in the nation at the time it was
built. There was also a removable covering
that was laid over it to make a ballroom or
a roller skating rink for special occasions.