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 h ...

, 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church), in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

. Used for a variety of purposes following the death of Young, the building was closed in 2020, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and has remained closed for renovation and restoration, with an expected reopening in 2025. It is expected that its former restaurant, ''The Lion House Pantry'', will be replaced by museum space as part of the restoration project.

History

Truman Osborn Angell, Young's brother-in-law, by his first wife Mary Ann Angell, and designer of the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

, 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 Ward III, 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 immediate ...

. It is adjacent to Young's other official residence, the Beehive House, to which it is connected by a series of rooms used as offices. A

polygamist Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

, 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 st ...

, 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. In the 1930s, it was operated by the Young Women Mutual Improvement Association 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

Current use

The bottom floor of the Lion House is a functional, cafeteria-style restaurant called ''The Lion House Pantry,'' which is currently closed for renovation. 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.Haddock, Sharon
"Lion House brand's going national with sale of mixes"
''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...

'', 14 January 2010. Retrieved on 2 April 2021. The building's restaurant is expected to be replaced by museum space during the 2020s restoration.

References

External links

*
The Lion House
Official site
Temple Square and Church Headquarters: Historic Lion House
{{Authority control 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

History

Current use

See also

References

External links