BOISE, Idaho — What once was just a dream more than 10 years ago is now becoming a reality for the organizers behind Treefort Music Festival, Duck Club Entertainment.
Lori Shandro said she and Drew Lorona came up with the idea to create a music venue in Boise back in the summer of 2011. When they met Eric Gilbert, Shandro said they came up with the plan to create the annual music festival that takes over downtown Boise.
After more than a decade, the creators of Treefort have finally broken ground on a new music venue, Treefort Music Hall.
It is expected to open in early 2023.
"It's been a slow, careful process but I feel like it's evolved so beautifully," Shandro said, the CFO of Duck Club.
"It's always been on the back of our mind, where it'd be nice to have our own brick and mortar space, and a headquarters for the extension of our mission," said Gilbert, the CEO of Duck Club.
Treefort Music Hall will open up on the corner of Broad Street and Capitol Boulevard, where the previous Office Depot used to be and just down the street from the newly built The Warehouse Food Hall. The space is owned by Hendrick Commercial Properties.
Scoggin Capital Investments is the lead investor that is helping bring this decade-old idea to life.
The more than 20,020 square-foot building, which includes a rooftop patio, two bar areas, two artist greenrooms and an office space, will be able to welcome 1,049 people into the venue. Some amenities like the rooftop patio and bar will be open year round.
"I think it's going to be pretty awesome to have year-round music and a venue this size," Shandro said. "It will craft the experience in a way that we want it for emerging and touring artists."
Bringing new life to the Boise music scene is one of the reasons Duck Club is moving forward with the venture. Gilbert said he's noticed there has not been a new large music venue in the area for quite some time.
"I think there's a lot of artists that don't still don't stop here because there's not enough space for them to play at the right size," Gilbert said.
He added it will further support the entertainment and live music ecosystem in the area.
Gilbert also believes this market has a lot of room to grow in the entertainment scene, especially when it comes to nurturing and growing local artists.
"The venue will help them learn to play on stages like this and put them in front of larger crowds," Gilbert said.
Leaders of the music hall hope the venue will be an artist-forward, state-of-the-art community hub.
"It's not just the artists, but the people who want to work in this industry and who want to be able to have meaningful work year-round," Shandro said.
While leadership at the venue said it's not really possible to capture the entire essence of Treefort Music Festival in just a single venue, they're hopeful it will still bring some of its spirit to the Treasure Valley year round.
"I'm really hoping that this space continues to embody that and where people can kind of feel welcome and to be themselves," Gilbert said.
The venue and its rooftop bar will serve as a stage for Treefort Music Fest, but leadership said it is not the new main stage. The new main stage has yet to be announced.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: