EDITORIAL: You're invited to a 'Garden Party'

It was Ricky Nelson who wrote and sang the 1972 hit song, "Garden Party."

The opening lyrics were: 

I went to a garden party
To reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories
And play our songs again 

Coeur d'Alene is about to have its own garden party, and it surely will be a time to reminisce, share old memories and, yes, play some favorite songs again.

Today, the city will celebrate the recognition of the Garden District on the National Register of Historic Places. It's a worthy party, one that was years in the making.

Here's what's happening:

From 1-3 p.m at Phippeny Park, 827 N. Eighth St., Garden District property owners and residents, Historic Preservation Commission members, and local dignitaries will gather for an unveiling of a National Register of Historic Places plaque. A National Register of Historic Places Certificate signed by Gov. Brad Little will also be presented.  

The certificate will be presented by Idaho State Historical Society Trustee Don Pischner. The unveiling of the plaque and presentation of the certificate will be at 1:30 p.m.

We encourage residents to be there and be part of this event, celebrating a grassroots initiative led by Garden District property owners that resulted in a reconnaissance survey under the guidance of the Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission.

The work was handed over to Coeur d’Alene’s Historic Preservation Commission in 2021 to complete the nomination process to designate the neighborhood as a historic district.  

We think Walter Burns, chair of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, said it well why this designation matters:

"It draws awareness to historic preservation and the need to look at our historic resources, value them and maintain them.

Burns also said while the designation does not provide any special protections for properties in the district, it does "give the neighborhood a good amount of pride."

"It speaks to the fact that this grassroots activity really is important," Burns said.

The Garden District is one of Coeur d’Alene’s oldest and most treasured neighborhoods, featuring houses built primarily from 1890 to 1940.

It has over 500 primary buildings and nearly 400 outbuildings, and stretches roughly from Lakeside Avenue to Montana Avenue and from Fifth Street to 11th Street.

But it's more than houses.

Take a stroll through there when you have a chance. Stop, look around and soak it in. Listen. 

We believe you will learn why this neighborhood deserves this honor and why, indeed, it's well overdue for a garden party.