ICRE: How Do Downtown Boise Murals Bring Value?

*View of building mural from Zions Bank building on 8th & Main Street. Building depicting "Over the Valley" by* *David Carmack Lewis*.
Photo: Intermountain Commercial Real Estate

Over the last decade Boise, Idaho has slowly gained a reputation as a city ripe with business opportunities, great quality of life, as well as a thriving arts and culture scene.

Music, theatre, and fine arts are all within the spectrum of Boise culture. Summertime features the Idaho Shakespeare Festival located right by the Boise foothills. Treefort Music Festival dubbed the “coolest music festival in America right now” by Thrillist Magazine, wrapped up a couple weeks ago in March. Freak Alley, one of the largest mural galleries in the Northwest, is a “must-see for locals and tourists alike” according to Livability.com. Visitors to Boise will notice the many murals on display on buildings downtown.

But beyond “cool,” how do these city beautification projects have an effect?

Building mural near Hoff Building in Downtown Boise.

In a recent CoStar article, Keith Douglas, chief innovation and marketing officer of Sterling Bay says:

“An artist’s enthusiasm for an installation — especially if they have local ties — can in turn spark energy from the neighborhood, with each feeding into the other. “That connectivity translates to leasing opportunities because it feels organic,” Douglas said. Chemists, mathematicians, custodians, visitors: “whoever it is — they feel proud of the building they’re walking into.”
CoStar: If Building Walls Are a Canvas, Can Murals Paint a Profit?

The article goes on to say that the effects of the murals can show up on social media, and landlords can “evaluate social media attention” to measure impact. Although the metrics are not exact (but some companies are working on quantifying the metrics), building murals add to the value of any downtown.

Boise exemplifies the use of artists to make our city thrive.