Is Boise’s Zions Bank Building Making A Political Statement?

If you look at the Boise skyline tonight, you see buildings lit up against the mountain backdrop. It's beautiful and unique to our city. But the tallest building downtown is lit up in colors that can change. Tonight, it is Blue and Yellow, which has suddenly become political.

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The Zions Bank Building, also known as Eighth & Main, is an 18-story high-rise that was built in 2014. Inside is the Idaho headquarters for Zions Bank. Other tenants include Holland & Hart, Ruth's Chris Steak House, and many more.

The building is easy to spot, not just because it is the tallest but also because of its lighting system, which is supposed to enhance its architecture. However, today, it seems some see their current color scheme as political.

The initial Boise Blue and Orange color scheme was a huge hit because you don't have to live here long to know how much we love our Broncos. The color scheme changes all the time for different causes or holidays. When the war in Ukraine began, the building went Blue and Yellow in support of the Ukrainian people. But after Trump's heated press conference with Ukraine's President Zelynskyy, the Blue and Yellow might seem political.

Now, the Zions Bank building is in a no-win situation. They could leave the colors up to continue showing support for the people of Ukraine, saying that it's not political but a display of solidarity for a people in an awful spot and risk upsetting the conservative portion of the city. Or they could change the colors to something generic and risk losing the liberal side of the city, which would say that they were afraid to take a stand.

When the colors changed to Blue and Yellow, there was nothing political about it. However, the situation has changed, and they appear to have taken a political stand. The landscape changed around them like the landscape changed around Boise when the building was built in 2014.