1302 Yale Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT, USA

National Register of Historic Places - George Albert Smith House

Statement of Significance:

Constructed in 1913-14, this house is significant for its association with George Albert Smith, a long-time apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon church) and president of the church from 1945 until 1951. Smith bought the house in 1919 and remained here until his death in 1951. Though he lived in other residences prior to this one, this was his principal residence and the one most closely associated with his career as an important religious leader. As the eighth president of the LDS church, George Albert Smith ranks as an exceptionally significant figure, thereby overriding the requirement that properties achieve their significance at least fifty years ago.

The George Albert Smith House was actually constructed for Isaac A. Hancock, vice-president of Hancock Brothers Fruit Company, which was one of the earliest wholesale fruit and produce companies in Utah." Hancock obtained a building permit for the house on November 26, 1913. The estimated cost of construction was $5,000, and the builder was listed as Raymond Ashton. Mr. Hancock lived in the house until 1919 when he sold it to George Albert and Lucy Emily Smith and moved up the street to 1340 Yale Avenue. Raymond Ashton was the manager of Ashton Improvement Company and was also an architect, suggesting that he may have been involved in the design of the house. Raymond Ashton was also associated with Edward M. Ashton (his brother) and Edward M. Jenkins, developers of the Yale Park subdivision and other east-side, Salt Lake residential areas.

At the time the Smiths purchased this house, George Albert was vice-president of Utah Savings and Trust Company and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Quorum of the Twelve is the governing body of the church directly under the president and his councilors. Members of the Quorum and other top church officials, known as general authorities, held positions with church-owned companies as a means of financial support; their primary occupation, however, was church work. George Albert Smith had been appointed to serve as an apostle in 1903 at the relatively young age of 33.

Both his father and grandfather had also served as apostles. His occupation prior to his call to the apostleship was as receiver for the Land Office of Utah, having been appointed by U.S. President William McKinley in 1897 and reappointed by Theodore

Roosevelt in 1902. Smith served as an apostle in the LDS church until his selection as the eighth president of the church on May 21, 1945, after the death of president Heber J. Grant. He was 75 years old at the time. He remained president of the church until his death on April 4, 1951. George Albert Smith's career as an apostle and president of the LDS church spanned 48 years and was marked by several significant achievements. He was particularly active in programs for the youth of the church. He was a member of the general board of the church's Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA) from 1904 until 1921, then served as general superintendent of that organization from 1921 to 1935. In that role, he was influential in setting policies, establishing programs, and directing youth activities throughout the church. Smith was impressed with the Boy Scout program and recommended its incorporation into the YMMIA program after it was introduced in the United States in 1910. The church adopted the program with such enthusiasm that Utah and the church emerged as world leaders in the percentage of boys enrolled in scouting programs. Smith directed the scouting program in the church and in 1931 was appointed to the advisory board of the National Council of Boy Scouts of America. In 1932 he was awarded the Silver Beaver and in 1934 the Silver Buffalo, two of scouting's highest awards."

Smith was also very active in promoting awareness and appreciation for historic sites related to church and Utah pioneer history. He was instrumental in acquiring property and erecting a monument in upstate New York in recognition of church founder Joseph Smith and in 1937 organized the Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association. That organization erected hundreds of historic monuments are markers along the Mormon Trail (from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Utah) and throughout the west, including the "This Is The Place" monument at the mouth of Emigration Canyon east of Salt Lake City, which was erected in 1947 on the 100-year anniversary of the arrival of the Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley.

During George Albert Smith's tenure as church president, the church began expanding its presence in the United States and throughout the world. His appointment as president in 1945 coincided with the end of World War II, which afforded new opportunities for church expansion. The church's missionary program was revitalized as the number of missionaries rose to over 5,000, an unprecedented high. There was a marked increase in the number of wards (congregations) and stakes (groups of congregations) organized, some 200 new meetinghouses were built, new hospitals were constructed and old ones enlarged, and a new temple was completed in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Growth of the church in subsequent decades would be even more dramatic, but the pattern for much of that later growth was established in the years after World War II while George Albert Smith was president.

When the Smiths purchased the home from Isaac Hancock in 1919, they were attracted by its location and large lot. The house is situated on the east bench of Salt Lake City, a new and desirable residential neighborhood at the time. They had been living downtown near Temple Square (21 N. West Temple, now demolished), a neighborhood that was rapidly losing its residential character. An especially attractive feature of the new house and lot was Red Butte Creek, which ran through the back of the property. The creek was far below the level of the street and house and offered a secluded natural retreat for the family. The large size of the property--large enough for three additional houses--added to the sense of seclusion that the Smiths enjoyed. They envisioned a family compound, with all three of their children constructing houses on the property. This dream was only partially realized. The two married daughters built homes nearby, one to the south across the creek and the other to the east, but their son Albert chose to remain in the East after completing his schooling at Harvard. The lot earmarked for his home, directly east of the parents', was instead used as a garden area for outdoor entertaining. One notable event celebrated in the Smith's yard was a dinner party for 400 guests, including the governors of forty-six states, their wives, and other dignitaries on July 15, 1947. This was one of the key events in the pioneer centennial celebration that culminated on July 24, 1947.

After George Albert Smith's death in 1951, the house was held in trust by his family until 1953, when it was sold to Warwick Lamoreaux, an attorney. During Lamoreaux's ownership, a number of minor changes were made to the house and a duplex was built next door in the garden area. Two other houses were also built on the property down near the creek; these are now separate properties. The current owners of the Smith House, Dennis M. Greenlee, and Diana G. Pounder, purchased it in 1989 and have returned much of the house to its original condition.