Something New is Finally Moving Into This Sad, Defunct U.S. Bank in Boise

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, U.S. Bank permanently closed at least four branches in the Treasure Valley. One of them now has a "coming soon" sign hanging from it.

We were crushed when we learned the branch at 301 W. Parkcenter was closing for good in January 2021. When we moved to Boise, that's where we set up our first bank account and over the years experienced nothing short of amazing customer service. We'll forever be grateful for the teller that helped us get a replacement debit card the day our wallet got stolen with our debit card AND driver's license inside during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Since the branch closed, the neighborhood has been tracking what it might become. Last March, our friends at BoiseDev stumbled across a permit application showing plans to turn the bank into a restaurant with a rooftop bar. The developer planned to demolish the bank's drive-thru.

And...that was the last we heard of the potential restaurant project. We're not sure when the restaurant project died but that's NOT what will be moving into the old bank. (Since we live and work in the neighborhood, we're a little sad that it was just a dream.)

Instead, young martial arts enthusiasts will have a new place to learn Taekwondo. A coming soon banner for Master Kim's Taewandodo went up earlier this week. Public records show that the studio plans to remove existing and construct new nonbearing walls to make room for the actual studio, offices, storage and restrooms. Master David Kim has shared some videos of the construction on their Facebook page and said they'll be keeping the bank's vault to use as a private instruction room.

Kim is a fifth-degree black belt certified by the World Taekwondo Headquarters in South Korea. He's trained for 20 years and has 12 years of teaching experience. He's joined by Master Grace Bae, a Yong-In University graduate, who spent five years on the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team. She's been to over 15 countries to demonstrate Taekwando.

Taekwando is such a positive and fun way for kids not just to learn self-defense skills, but to also improve their focus, respect, confidence and self-esteem. Master Kim's looks like it will be a really positive addition to the neighborhood! They hope to be open in May if construction allows.