Beehive House , , United States of America

The Beehive House was ’s primary residence while serving as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and governor of the . The house is named for the beehive which adorns the top of the structure and represents the strong work ethic exhibited by the early Saints as they labored to es- tablish the . Truman O. Angell, architect of the , assisted President Young in the de- sign of the . Upon its completion in 1854, Mary Ann Angell Young and Lucy Decker Young, two of President Young’s wives, moved into the Beehive House.1 The Beehive House The Beehive House served as the loca- Photo courtesy of Derek J. Tangren tion where President Young would entertain dis- 3 tinguished guests and others who visited the early “Ponder Over the Scriptures,” LDS Church News, (October 28, Salt Lake community including Mark Twain, Presi- 1989). 2 dents Ulysses S. Grant, and P.T. Barnum. It con- 4 “Passing Events,” Improvement Era, Vol. 23, No. 11, (September tained a total of fourteen rooms, which were often 1920). occupied with visitors and guests. After President Brigham Young’s death in 1877, the Young family maintained the Beehive Clarissa Young Spencer’s House until it was sold to the Church. For a time, Description of the Beehive House1 the house was the official residence of the Presi- dent of the Church and both and Joseph F. Smith lived in the home. It was in this “The only home I ever knew, until six house that President Joseph F. Smith sat ponder- years after my marriage, was the Beehive House. ing in his personal study and received Section 138 No matter where I go or where I live, this will al- of the Doctrine & Covenants.3 ways be my real home, for it holds the memories On July 13, 1920, the Beehive House be- of my father, mother, brothers, and sisters, and is came a boarding house for young women.4 It re- enshrined in my heart as a place where love and mained such until the late 1950s when it was reno- perfect harmony existed.... vated and reopened in 1961 as a museum. “Because it was built largely for entertain- ing, the rooms were spacious and beautifully fur- nished. There were two parlors, one upstairs and SOURCES one down, both on the southeast part of the house. The lower room, which also served as our sitting 1 Clarissa Young Spencer, Brigham Young at Home (Salt Lake City: room, was charmingly decorated with the walls in Deseret Book Co., 1961), 36. a soft green shade, lace Nottingham curtains at the 2 “The Beehive House Is a Gospel Sermon,” LDS Church News, windows, and an ingrain carpet on the floor. It was (June 10, 1989). here that Father always ate his breakfast. 2 Beehive House, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America

The upper room was the more elegant of Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 the two and was called the “Long Hall,” and with a length of fifty feet, it was truly “long.” It had a fine Phone Number: coved ceiling ending with beautiful plaster mold- (801) 240-2671 ings. The furnishings included two Lady Franklin stoves, chairs, two large couches, which could be Hours of Operation: put together to make a bed—and frequently were Monday - Saturday, 9 AM - 9 PM at conference time—white lace curtains with rose lambrequins on gold cornices, and a pale grey car- Admission: pet decorated with bunches of roses and green Free leaves. Not the least of its attractions were the large looking glass in its gold frame with the bas- Further Reading Resources ket of flowers underneath fashioned from colored shells, and the two chandeliers fitted with their coal oil lamps... “Behind the sitting room on the first floor Judy Butler Anderson, The Beehive House: Its De- were two small rooms, a buttery and a bedroom, sign, Restoration, and Furnishings, (Brigham Young then a large dining room known as ‘the men’s din- University: Provo, 1967). ing room,’ because the workmen on the place were J. E. Arrington, “Brigham’s Home: The Beehive served there, and beyond that the big kitchen with House,” Sunset, 1965. its tin-lined sink, tall cupboards reaching from floor The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to ceiling, and the great range, almost constantly in “The Beehive House: Home of Brigham use... Young, Pioneer President of the Church of “Altogether, the Beehive House held four- Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Governor teen rooms, but in spite of this, what with emi- of the Territory of Deseret,” 1978. grants and visitors, we were always crowded to Lee Perry, “Elder L. Tom Perry of the Council of capacity. During “conference” time, when great the Twelve,” Ensign, (February 1975), 9. numbers of the church membership gathered in H. Williams, “The Beehive House: A Monument Salt Lake for this semiannual event, we were prac- to the Past,” Improvement Era, 1962. tically crowded out. Every house in the city had an overflow of relatives and friends, in the early days, and we were certainly no exception to the rule.”

SOURCES

1 Clarissa Young Spencer, Brigham Young at Home (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1961).

Visitor Information

Address: 67 E South Temple