The first time I ever went to The Modern Hotel was for an event called Modern Art. I was working my first job post-college over at The Owyhee. “You’ve never been to The Modern?!” my coworkers teased.

It was a Thursday afternoon and the whole place was buzzing. A crowd spilled from the patio into the parking lot, cocktails in hand and lively conversations everywhere. Modern Art – which ran from 2008 to 2016 – invited artists to transform hotel rooms into one-night-only installations. You went from room to room to explore each artist and installation. Each room was wildly different: one had its mattress replaced with paintings on easels, another was filled with silver antlers dangling from the ceiling. A short film played on curtains, pottery lined the kitchenette counters, textiles draped across beds and walls. One room had a full on DJ set happening. Outside, a fortune teller, a band, a Neckar coffee cart, and the bar kept the party going. And on the building’s side, a guy on a ladder was painting a mural in real time.

My mind was blown. I had never been to an event like this with so much energy and free spirit and damn good cocktails. My favorite discovery was actually in the bar bathroom: a knee-high gnome holding up a record player, with a stack of vinyl to choose which tunes you wanted playing while you peed.

All of this was happening on a Thursday night as part of First Thursday. It was free and, now I know, that it was just one example of magical moments that have unfolded at The Modern over the past two decades.

The history of The Modern

Nearly 20 years ago, siblings Elizabeth and Robert Tullis saw possibility where others saw decline. Elizabeth had worked in hospitality for years, then married into the family that owned Redfish Lake Lodge and worked there. When her children reached school age, they decided to move back to Boise. Elizabeth was ready to bring her own flavor of hospitality to the valley.

“I just thought Boise really needs a fun, small hotel. So I started looking for places,” said Elizabeth Tullis, co-owner of The Modern Hotel.

With encouragement from her parents, Elizabeth and her brother bought a rundown Travelodge on a stretch of Grove Street that, at the time, didn’t have much going on. Their father was a careful businessman and knew it was a risky endeavor.

“My mother said, Bob, I really think that this would be a great thing for the family, and I think Elizabeth can do it.”

But this is not actually where the story of The Modern Hotel begins. Elizabeth and Robert’s grandparents opened and operated the original Modern Hotel in Nampa during the height of the Great Depression. Elizabeth’s grandparents had come to Idaho from the Basque country to work as sheepherders, but when they lost all their sheep, they decided to go all in on operating a boarding house. All of their children, including Elizabeth’s mom, worked at the boarding house. They provided meals, language help, and community for Basque sheepherders and really anyone who needed food and a place to stay.

“There were a lot of boarding houses in Nampa at the time because it was right on the railroad,” Elizabeth said. “My grandmother always said, ‘We like everybody here.’ And she meant it.”

Many of the other boarding houses refused to take in immigrants, Mexicans, Greeks, or Black people – but The Modern did.

When asked if that spirit was on her mind when she decided to include “Everyone is Welcome” in the hotel’s early marketing, Elizabeth answered matter-of-factly, “Well, it’s the original story. “And that’s what hospitality is all about, isn’t it? It’s the fundamental meaning of the word. And it’s in everything we do.”

That original Modern Hotel is also where the name itself comes from. Elizabeth’s grandparents chose it to highlight the boarding house’s modern amenities, especially its steam heating, which was a luxury at the time. Even the original logo remains almost identical to the one you see today. The only difference? Where the current sign reads “and bar,” the original proudly declared “steam heated.”

“They were so proud of that that they put it on the sign,” said Elizabeth.

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Opening The Modern

In 2006, the Linen District looked nothing like it does today. Oakley Moody, a small strip mall, and a closed-up Linen Building were about all that stood nearby. The old Travelodge had become a flop house, and the rest of the area was mostly surface parking lots.

The day Elizabeth was set to sign the papers, her dad told her to go to the bank, pick up the check, and walk it back. “Can’t you just pick me up on the way?” she asked. “No,” he said. “I want you to walk.”

She went to the bank and started walking back toward the hotel with a million dollars in her pocket. “That alone was just shocking,” she said. “And I’m walking through this really kind of graveyard part of the city thinking, oh no, what have I done?” When she arrived, the property was fenced off and skaters were carving around the empty swimming pool.

“It was a good lesson. He was a very, very good businessman. He taught me a lot through strange things,” she remembered with a laugh. “He's the reason that, really, we're here. Because he backed the whole thing all those years and really believed in it.”

Elizabeth’s mother was also such an important part of The Modern. Their father called this his ‘last love song to his wife’ and she lived to see the Modern open its doors in 2007. She planted the ginkgo trees and was part of all the conversations, from the logos to the decor.

“It was her story too,” said Elizabeth.

A place for community

“I’ll tell you what, it exceeded my expectations,” said Elizabeth when I asked her if the hotel as it is now was part of her original vision. It was the amount of goodwill and supportive people, and carefree sharing of art and ideas.

“We could do that because we were small and not entitled to corporations,” said Elizabeth. “We just did everything organically, and it worked because so many people work so hard for the same goal. That doesn't happen often – and it certainly doesn't happen for 20 years.”

I can’t help but reminisce on the sharing of art at The Modern. The hotel has hosted so many art events, becoming a platform for small local artists and bringing the community together to just have fun and see cool stuff – no tickets required or strings attached. Just come out and have a good time.

To name a few of these events:

• Modern Art: Artist installations in hotel rooms, a free “First Thursday” event that drew a few thousand people.
• 39 Rooms Film Festival: Robert Tullis, co-owner of The Modern, curates an in-room short film festival called 39 Rooms. It features a revolving showcase of the best new short films from all over the world, playing on a continuous loop in each of the 39 rooms of the Modern Hotel (on Channel 39, of course). This has been going on for 10 years and each year he curates a new selection.
• Campfire Stories: Readings from local authors and poets on the patio under the ginkgos. It’s really a moving and magical evening. It’s free and you can even reserve a table in advance.
• Camp Modern during Treefort: A free stage at Treefort Music Fest (which used to have its main stage and festival hub just down the street on 11th and Grove).
• Burning Lamb: During Treefort, Camp Modern (and later at Txikiteo) would host an epic "burning lamb” celebration, where Dan Ansotegui (Ansots) roasted a lamb on a spit and then they burned a wooden lamb effigy at the end of the weekend. It’s a nod to their Basque roots.
• Dance & Dinner/Brunch: On multiple occasions The Modern partnered with LED to create a one-of-a-kind dinner and show. They also did this for a brunch show.
• Dinner in the Garden: A multi-course meal on the patio paired drinks and ingredients from local partners.
• The Modern’s Infinite Scroll: An interactive public art piece that hangs outside the building’s lobby, and features a handle for people to turn, moving the image along its track and creating a loop of art. The scroll has featured different artists’ work over the years.

And these are just what came to mind while writing this piece.

Another thing Elizabeth didn’t expect was how the hotel would be embraced by locals from the get go. Treasure Valley residents would stay at the hotel and say how glad they were to have something like this in Boise and how glad they were to tell their parents or friends about it.

“And so many people got engaged here. So many people had their honeymoon here. And now they come back for their anniversaries,” said Polly Evett, hotel manager at The Modern.

“It soon became such a part of so many people's different lives that it really added to the multi-dimensional story of the modern, which is the magic,” said Elizabeth.

The Modern Bar & Restaurant

Something that was not part of the original vision was the restaurant.

Elizabeth knew she wanted a really great bar, but she didn’t really want a restaurant. And a great bar it quickly became. Back in 2007, craft cocktails were not really a thing and there were only a few places in downtown Boise getting creative with their drinks – namely Red Feather Lounge, The Milky Way, Chandlers, and The Modern. The OG bartender at The Modern was Michael Bowers, who quickly developed a reputation for delicious and creative cocktails.

Eventually, the bar was so popular that adding in food service was inevitable. People would be happily drinking then have to leave to go out and get food.

“We took two rooms right at the bottom of the stairs over there – rooms 119 and 120 – and we gutted them and we put in a kitchen, which I called the Easy Bake Kitchen,” said Elizabeth. They did everything on a hot plate and a panini maker for several years and it was working. When Rémi Courcenet and Chef Nate Whitley (now the owners of TERROIR Bistro on 8th Street) came over to The Modern, they told Elizabeth they were going to need a bigger kitchen.

Like the bar and the hotel itself, they envisioned bringing something new to Boise. “I remember sitting down and talking about what kind of menu we wanted. And we decided that we really needed to teach people how to eat,” said Elizabeth.

That meant small plates of really good, locally sourced food. And yes, it is really good, so good that it was nominated for a James Beard Award twice.

Since reopening after COVID closures in May 2021, Chef Kelly Grindstaff is carrying on the Modern tradition of great food and original cocktails. He is serving his own versions of locally sourced and individually crafted dinners. As always, the Modern Bar serves unique and delicious drinks from old classics to new, innovative, hand crafted cocktails.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out The Modern Bar & Restaurant yet, plan a date night or friend catch up or solo meal here. The cocktail and food menu are always changing with the seasons.

They also have three specials for Taste of Downtown this week:

• A 4-course Prix-Fixe option for $85 a person. Includes your choice of one item from each section of our menu, plus an amuse bouche and a palate cleanser. If one guest at the table is doing the prix-fixe menu, then everyone must participate at the table.
• A $14 and Under selection of three $14 cocktails from their forthcoming winter craft cocktail menu. Available Fri & Sat 4-11pm and Sun-Th 4-10pm.
• An Experience special. If you book a room at the Modern Hotel during Boise's Taste of Downtown you will receive 20% off hotel room + $50 gift card to the bar + in-room gift box with snacks from City Peanut Shop, Meriwether Cider or Idaho Kombucha. Use promo code TASTE during booking.

The future of The Modern Hotel

In case you haven’t heard, The Modern Hotel is for sale. Rather than a traditional listing, the sale process will open a call for offers between October 15 to November 14, 2025.

This was an intentional choice, allowing Elizabeth and Robert to welcome creativity and vision into the future of the property. The hope is that new ownership will honor what The Modern has meant to Boise, while carrying its legacy forward in ways that are uniquely their own.

If there is a bit of knowledge that Elizabeth would share with the new owner, it’s this: the staff here is incredible. Many have been here from the beginning, and every single person there spends an incredible amount of time making every experience as good as it can be – whether it’s a hotel guest or someone drinking at the bar.

“I don't think anyone has an idea of how much work and thought goes into making someone’s stay or someone's experience always a good one and always trying to add value,” said Elizabeth.

This call for offers is just the beginning of the process. And if Elizabeth doesn’t find the right buyer, she’s not selling.

“There's no sense of urgency,” said Elizabeth. “We're proceeding with an abundance of communication and transparency for the community, because the community has made it what it is.”

“I think that it means a lot to Boise in the future to keep these kinds of places going like this. Not necessarily this story, but a continuation of this kind of cultural place,” said Elizabeth. “My story is written. I want to hear someone else’s now.”

You can find all the details about the call for offers here.

Reservations, the restaurant, and the bar remain open — you can still book a room, reserve a table, and see what’s new on the menu. The Modern is also continuing to host events through the fall and holiday season, which you can follow along with here.

For whoever steps forward, this is more than a business opportunity – it’s an invitation. To steward a space that’s shaped Boise’s culture. To join a family that pours their hearts into every guest experience. And to build new moments of magic that will become part of this city’s story for decades to come.

Thanks for reading!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

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PS - enjoy this video of Modern Art 2009

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