Brigham Young’s house had a surprising second life you never knew about

Beehive House’s Four-Decade Haven for Working Women

Brigham Young’s Beehive House had a fresh start in 1920.

When Church President Heber J. Grant chose not to live there, the Young Women Mutual Improvement Association saw a chance to help.

They turned the empty mansion into a safe home for young working women in Salt Lake City. For just $6 to $8. 50 per week, about 80 women under age 25 found rooms.

No stays past one year. Learn city life, then move on. This safe haven ran for nearly 40 years until 1959, when times changed.

The historic home now stands as a museum where you can walk the same halls that once sheltered a generation of working women.

Brigham Young’s Mansion Was Utah’s First Executive Home

Brigham Young built the Beehive House in downtown Salt Lake City in 1854 as his home and office.

He worked with his brother-in-law Truman Angell to create this two-story adobe house topped with a beehive, Utah’s symbol for hard work.

Young needed plenty of space for his jobs as church president, governor, and family leader. The house mixed living areas with office space where Young ran church business and greeted visitors.

Church Presidents Lived in the Beehive House for Years

After Young died in 1877, the Beehive House stayed important as the home for Mormon church presidents.

Several church leaders lived there while keeping its historic look. Joseph F. Smith was the last president to live there full-time until 1918.

When Heber J.Grant became church leader, he broke with tradition and chose not to move in, leaving the historic house empty.

Working Women Struggled to Find Housing in Growing Cities

In the early 1900s, more single women left their country homes to work in cities. These young women often couldn’t find safe, cheap places to live in unfamiliar city settings.

The YWCA and other groups started opening women’s boarding houses across America. Salt Lake City faced the same problems, with young Mormon women coming for jobs and school.

Church women leaders saw how these newcomers needed safe housing while getting used to city life.

Mormon Women Leaders Found a New Use for the Empty Mansion

The Young Women Mutual Improvement Association spotted a chance when President Grant didn’t move into the empty Beehive House.

They asked church leaders if they could turn the building into housing for working women.
Grant liked the plan and said yes in early 1920.

The Deseret News shared the news on April 3, 1920, telling readers the mansion would soon become “a home for working girls and those of moderate means who cannot find suitable homes.”

The House Opened to Working Women in Summer 1920

The Beehive House welcomed its first residents on July 1, 1920, starting a new chapter for the historic building.

About 80 young women moved into the former mansion that summer. Church leaders wanted the boarding house to help young women learn about city life in a safe place.

The Young Women Mutual Improvement Association ran daily operations, hiring house matrons to watch over the property and care for residents.

House Rules Kept Young Residents in Line

Living at the Beehive House meant following many rules. Women had to be under 25 years old to get a room.

Stays lasted no more than one year, pushing residents to find permanent housing with Mormon families after settling into city life.

The house set strict curfews, kept male visitors in common areas only, and tracked residents’ comings and goings.

Women had to attend Sunday services and join church activities.

A Week’s Pay Covered Room and Board Downtown

The Beehive House offered cheap living right in the heart of Salt Lake City.

Residents paid between $6 and $8.50 per week in the 1920s, with prices changing based on room size. This fair rate included three meals a day in the shared dining rooms.

The central spot put residents within walking distance of most downtown jobs and the LDS University campus.

For young women earning modest pay as clerks and secretaries, the Beehive House made city living possible on tight budgets.

Daily Life Mixed Work, Study, and Friends

Life inside the historic mansion followed regular patterns.

Most residents worked as secretaries at the nearby Church Office Building or took classes at LDS University during the day. Evenings brought shared meals, study time, and social activities in the house’s cozy parlors.

The women became close friends through group activities planned by house matrons. Weekend trips, holiday parties, and special events created a family feeling that helped ease homesickness.

Former Residents Look Back Fondly on Their Time There

Janet Hales, who lived at the Beehive House in its later years, remembered how the experience “really strengthened my testimony” and “taught me that the Lord loved me and cared for me.”

Many women made lifelong friends with their housemates.

The social connections at the Beehive House often led to marriages, as residents met future husbands through church and community activities.

House matrons became trusted guides, teaching young women practical skills while helping their spiritual growth.

The Boarding House Changed Through Four Decades

From 1920 to 1959, the Beehive House stayed full even through major national challenges.

During the Great Depression, the affordable housing became even more valuable to working women with limited incomes.

World War II brought a new wave of residents as women took jobs supporting the war effort. The post-war years saw continued demand, though social patterns began shifting by the 1950s.

Through all these changes, the house kept its mission of providing safe, supportive housing for young women finding their way in the city.

A Museum Replaced the Boarding House in the Early 1960s

By the late 1950s, the need for women’s boarding houses started dropping.

More colleges built campus housing for female students, giving them safer options than the Beehive House.

Church leaders closed the boarding house in 1959, ending nearly 40 years of service to working women.

Crews quickly got to work restoring the building to its original appearance. By 1961, the Beehive House reopened as a historic site and museum.

Visiting Brigham Young’s Beehive House, Salt Lake City

The Beehive House at 67 East South Temple is currently closed for renovations until 2025.

When it reopens, you’ll get free guided tours about this fascinating building that was Brigham Young’s home in 1854 and later became a boarding house for working women from 1920 to 1959.

The tours cover both time periods and show original furnishings from the house’s different eras as a residence and women’s housing.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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