The Lion House
1854-1856, Truman O. Angell
The Lion House takes its name from the
carved lion on top of the front portico.
The house was constructed with adobe blocks, a common
building material during Utah's settlement period.
Brigham Young, second president of the LDS Church,
built the Lion House as a model for polygamous
living arrangements. As many as 20 of his wives and
cozens of his children lived in the house at one time.
The basement contained a dining room which could
accommodate 70 people. On the main floor were
sitting rooms and bedrooms for wives with children.
The second floor had bedrooms for childless wives
and the third floor contained 20 children's bedrooms
- one under each of the 20 steeply-pitched gables.
