This Idaho Home Was Once a Raging Industrial Furnace — and It Still Has the Smokestack to Prove It
Most homes come with a kitchen, a yard, and maybe a garage. This one comes with a 75-foot smokestack, original boiler machinery in a double basement, and more unfinished square footage than most people know what to do with. Welcome to the most industrially charming listing in Weiser, Idaho.
From Furnace to Front Door
Built in 1900, this 4,974 square foot structure originally served as the industrial boiler building for Idaho's Intermountain Institute — a campus that once used it to heat the entire complex. The furnace is long cold, but the bones are very much still here. The building has since been split off from the main campus and converted into a 2-bedroom, 2-bath residence — though only about 1,174 square feet of the nearly 5,000 have actually been finished. That leaves a significant amount of raw industrial space for the next owner to work with, including a double basement still home to the original boiler machinery. Oh, and the 75-foot smokestack? That's still standing. Whether it can be converted into a functioning chimney is, according to the listing, an open question — and presumably, one of the more interesting conversations you'd have with a contractor.
The Details That Make It Wild
Listed at $385,000 — and according to the agent, a full $85,000 below a March 2025 appraisal — the property sits on 2.28 acres across two parcels in Weiser, Idaho's Washington County. The lot is zoned commercial, horse-friendly, and includes views, garden space, and alley access. It's tucked at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac near the historic Intermountain Institute grounds. For the homestead crowd: the listing specifically notes you can raise chickens, keep a horse or a cow, and potentially build a second structure on the additional parcel. For the design crowd: the exposed concrete, metal roof, and cavernous interior give serious industrial-chic potential. The finished portion features hardwood floors, granite countertops, a kitchen island, and central air — which, given the building's origins, feels like a satisfying full-circle moment.
The Internet Has Thoughts
Naturally, this listing caught the attention of Reddit's r/zillowgonewild community. See what people are saying about it here.
If you've ever dreamed of living in a piece of history — with a smokestack and 170+ listing photos to boot — this one's worth a look. View the full listing here.