The Lion House is a large residence built in 1856 by
Brigham Young
Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...
, second
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church), in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
.
History
Truman O. Angell, Young's brother-in-law, by his first wife Mary Ann Angell, and designer of the
Salt Lake City Temple, was also involved in the design of this home. The house got its name from the statue of a lion, sculpted by the craftsman
William F. Ward, above the front entrance. ''Lion of the Lord'' was a nickname of Young. The design is a Gothic Revival mansion with 20 gables for 20 small bedrooms.
The house is situated at 63 East South Temple, near the corner of South Temple and State Street, just one block east of
Temple Square
Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediately ...
. It is adjacent to Young's other official residence, the
Beehive House
A beehive house is a building made from a circle of stones topped with a domed roof. The name comes from the similarity in shape to a straw beehive.
Occurrences
The ancient Bantu used this type of house, which was made with mud, poles, and c ...
, to which it is connected by a series of rooms used as offices.
A
polygamist
Crimes
Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...
, Young ultimately fathered 57 children by more than two dozen wives, and also had many adopted, foster, and stepchildren. He owned residences throughout Salt Lake City and
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...
, but many of his wives and children were housed in the Lion House. The house contains large public rooms on the ground floor with bedrooms on the upper floors and was home to as many as 12 of Young's wives, including
Eliza R. Snow.
In 1870, the Young Ladies’ Department of the Ladies’ Cooperative Retrenchment Association was founded in the Lion House--now called
Young Women. In the 1920s, the Lion House housed the domestic science department of
LDS University
Ensign College (formerly LDS Business College) is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah. The college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes ...
. In the 1930s, it was operated by the
Young Women Mutual Improvement Association
The Young Women (often referred to as Young Women's or Young Woman's) is a youth ministry, youth organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The purpose of the Young Women organization is to help each young woman ...
of the LDS Church as a social center for study and also for renting of rooms for social events. In 2020, the Lion House and other historic sites on Temple Square were closed to the public due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Current use
Today the bottom floor of the Lion House is a functional,
cafeteria-style restaurant
A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the United States, U.S., is a type of Foodservice, food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a lar ...
called ''The Lion House Pantry'' which is open to the public. It is located adjacent to the LDS Church's
main headquarters and heavily visited Temple Square. The Lion House is also known for the ''Original Lion House Rolls'' and signature recipe created by Head Baker Bill Ellis in 1977. The Lion House retail 'brand' includes rolls, brownie and raspberry muffin baking mixes sold nationally through commercial partner
Lehi Roller Mills
Lehi Roller Mills is a locally run and operated flour mill and historical landmark of Lehi, Utah. The original brick building was built in 1905 and has expanded since then. It has become an iconic feature of the Utah Valley as a filming location ...
.
[Haddock, Sharon]
"Lion House brand's going national with sale of mixes"
''Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
'', 14 January 2010. Retrieved on 2 April 2021.
See also
*
List of historic sites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*
Gardo House
The Gardo House was the official residence of the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) during the tenures of John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff.
Construction
Joseph Ridges, designer and builder of the original ...
References
External links
*
The Lion HouseOfficial site
Temple Square and Church Headquarters: Historic Lion House
Houses in Salt Lake City
Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah
Houses completed in 1856
Brigham Young
Restaurants in Utah
History of the Latter Day Saint movement
Historic preservation in the United States
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