Historic ‘Betty the washer woman’ sign recommended to City Council for landmark status

The Boise City Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council designate the metal animatronic sign known as Betty the washer woman, located at 1504 South Vista Avenue, as a local landmark.

Staff planning analyst Richard Jarvis told the commission the sign was fabricated circa 1959 for the Econowash Maytag Laundry Company and "continues to relate to the post World War II growth of the Boise bench along Vista Avenue," and that the State Historic Preservation Office had determined the sign and its associated laundry are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Jarvis said staff had received a substantial number of letters of community support and that staff’s analysis showed the application meets the city code requirements for local landmark designation.

In public testimony, resident Yao Yin said, “Everybody loves Betty,” and urged the commission to ensure maintenance after designation, asking who would do upkeep, how often Betty’s clothes would be cleaned, whether Betty would change outfits for holidays and what the maintenance budget would be. Jarvis and commissioners acknowledged those were not conditions of the designation; Jarvis said maintenance arrangements would likely remain the responsibility of the property owner and noted staff had received information about deed restrictions on the original property that would be reviewed.

Commissioners discussed scope and precedent, clarifying that the application sought landmark status only for the sign, not the building. Commissioner Malloy noted this would be one of Boise’s first mid-century landmarks and thanked commission members and staff who worked on the application.

Commissioner Owens moved to recommend approval to the City Council; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call vote with all commissioners present voting aye. The commission record notes applicants were the Historic Preservation Commission itself (staff brought the application forward), and the item will proceed to the City Council for final action. The commission did not adopt maintenance requirements as part of the recommendation.

Next steps: staff will forward the commission’s recommendation and supporting documentation to the City Council for the formal landmark designation process; the City code provides a 10-day window for appeals from persons who provided written or oral testimony at the hearing.