Local merchant Harry Tolleth built the house in 1907 as a belated wedding present for his new wife, Della. It was a Sears, Roebuck and Company plan from the 1905 catalog. The house was constructed during a period of rapid expansion in the village, but the family says the lumber was shipped to Meridian from the family lumber business in Nebraska. Described as a stylistically transitional building, the house has features of the late-19th-century Queen Anne style and the early-20th-century emerging aesthetic style that emphasized simplicity in design and ornamentation. One of Meridian’s first homes to boast electricity and central heating, it remains an example of a spacious and early middle class frame house, with hallmarks of a socially upward merchant reflecting security and stability to his clients and the community. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, it is located at 134 East State Avenue on the northwest corner of State and East Second Street.

The home is currently owned by Elizabeth Burgess and operates as Hidden Gem Events. Elizabeth Burgess purchased the home in October 2019 and, along with her father Tim, assessed the aging home’s needs and began planning its restoration. Elizabeth Burgess received an Orchid Award by Preservation Idaho for positively contributing to historic preservation in Idaho following her restoration work on the Tolleth House. The project was nominated for this award by the Meridian Historic Preservation Commission, which works to preserve the character and fabric of historically significant areas and structures within the City of Meridian to honor and preserve its rich heritage for future generations.