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President’s house to be put on market
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The Idaho State Board of Education approved a special proposal on Jan. 24, and unlike many proposals involving buildings and their acquisition, the latest involves the sale of the Langroise House, the official residence of the Boise State president.
The Langroise House, located at 929 Warm Springs Ave., is a part of the BSU campus that is unfamiliar to most. The tudor-style house boasts 5,400 square feet, complete with two chimneys, diamond-shaped stained glass windows, and an ivy-covered brick exterior. The interior of the manor has an elevator chair and servants’ quarters.
The house was willed to the university in 1977 by well-known Northwest philanthropist William H. Langroise and his wife Gladys. Mrs. Langroise continued to live in the manor until her death in 2000, at which point the manor became the property of BSU and the residence of then-university president Charles Ruch. Ruch resided in the house during his term, but it has remained vacant since his retirement in the summer of 2003.
The house’s vacancy came into question last year when an ASBSU senator drafted a resolution requesting it be used or sold by Dec. 31, 2004. According to the resolution, maintenance of the empty manor costs BSU students an approximate $80,000 each year.
In a letter responding to the resolution, President Robert Kustra wrote that the house is lacking in many modern amenities and any renovation attempts would be a costly endeavor. In order to make the residence “useful” for the university, $500,000 to $1 million would be required.
The house is only permitted to be sold for a value equal to or more than its appraised value of $1.25 million. Proceeds from the sale will be used to create newly endowed scholarships. The sale of the Langroise House will make BSU the only university in the state absent of a president’s house.
Danielle Verhulp
News Writer
