Lorenzo Snow House, Forest Street at First West Street, Brigham City

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,2-BRICI,2-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

This was the home of one of the early Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) at the time of colonization of Brigham City, Utah. PART I, HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Original and subsequent owners: (chain of title) From Box Elder County Abstracts of Deeds, County Recorder, Brigham City, Utah (county courthouse). Lorenzo Snow Minnie G. Snow Lucius A. Snow James Knudsen Henry M. Bowring Edward B. Kirk Bridget Dubridge Henry M. Bowring Rudolph Kaiser Joseph Sobel Leon Bloom Louie B. Call (from Bowring) Fred Sorenson (from Sobel) Annie R. Bowring Charles R. Reeves (from Bowring Call) E. M. Sackett (from Kaiser) Lucille & Lewis H.

Jones ) Henry Bloom )Present part owners Lots 6 & 7 (Description: Brigham City Survey, Plat A, Block 12, Part Lots 6 & 7 >) LOPENZO SNOW HOUSE HABS No. U-45 (Page 2) 2. Date of erection: c. 3. Architect: Unknown. 4. Alterations: Substantial alterations and additions to original building for commercial purposes (residence is on town's business section) render original form almost unrecognizable. B. Historical Events and Persons Associated with the Building: The Lorenzo Snow home was one of the favorite stopping places of Brigham Young on his visits to the northern settlements. In a letter to Brigham Young, President Snow described his homestead: "At first, in locating there, I took only a portion of my family, as a small and incommodious adobe hut was the only tenement available.

During the summer and fall I succeeded in erecting a house, one story and a half in height, thirty by forty. It being impossible to obtain shingles, I covered the building with slabs, and for two winters the rattling of these slabs put in motion by the canyon breezes supplied us with music in the absence of organs and pianos." Mention is made that President Snow organized the Brigham City Dramatic Association in the home's 15 x 30 foot, largest room. His biography describes this occurence as follows: "Early in the winter of while his recently erected dwelling house was unfinished, he converted the larger room, which was fifteen by thirty feet, into a theatrical department, by erecting a stage in one end of this not too capacious hall furnish- ing scenery appropriate to the situation.

He then organized a dramatic company, and during the long winter evenings his amateur performers drew crowded audiences of invited guests." Evidently he either tore down the old house, or erected a new addition to the old building, for the deed abstracts in the County records dated October 31, record a transfer from Lorenzo Snow to Minnie J. Snow of "New brick dwelling house, fixtures, outhouses, and other improvements situated on lots 6 & 7". LORENZO SNOW HOUSE HABS No. U-45 (Page 3) C. Sources of Information: 1. Primary and unpublished sources: Abstracts of Deeds, Box Elder County, County Court- house, Brigham City, Utah, County Recorder's Office. Sanborn Map of Brigham City, Utah, Utah Room, University of Utah Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. 2.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,2-BRICI,2-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

History of Box Elder County, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Romney, Thomas C., The Life, of. LPrsnzo..Spow, Smith, Eliza R. Snow, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, Prepared by John L. Giusti, AIA September 5, PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1, Architectural character: This was the elegant home of a pioneer church and civic leader. 2. Condition of fabric: Although the house is structurally sound, its condition is deteriorated and the interior has been badly damaged by vandals. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: The 45' x 54 * 2", exclusive of front bay window, has been obscured by later additions. The house has two stories. 2. Foundations: Sandstone. 3.

Wall construction, finish and color: Walls are of running bond red brick and have gray sandstone keyed arches trimming the windows and doors. 4. Structural system, framing: Brick bearing walls and interior partitions, wood framed floors and roof. LORENZO SNOW HOUSE HABS No. U-45 (Page 4) 5. Porches and stoops: The northwest porch roof is gone, the remaining northeast porch is of wood, much dilapidat- ed, with a roofed gallery at the second floor level. Southwest porch enclosed by rear addition. 6. Chimneys: The central chimney has two tall chimney pots and a place where a third is missing. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: A pair of doors open into the stair hall and each of the other three major first floor rooms had two exterior doors. b.

Windows and shutters: There is an elaborate wood bay window at north end of cross. The arched limestone lintels over the other windows are imi- tated here in wood. 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The gabled roof repeats cross of plan. The present roof is metal although original- ly the roof was covered with slabs of stone. b. Cornice: An elaborate molded wood cornice has paired console brackets. C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans: a. The original plan was a greek cross with porches filling the northeast, northwest and southwest corners. In the southeast corner a large room extended beyond the rear of the cross and must have been the 15' x 30' room which accounts de- scribe as used for theatrical productions.

The kitchen may have been attached to the east on an area now part of abutting commercial structures. The east arm of the cross was the stair and en- trance hall. The west arm may have been an office since it has only one door opening into the rest of the house and exterior doors on the front and rear. The stem of the cross is halved by the chimney wall. The front room has a large bay win- dow and a fireplace. b. Upstairs a corridor crosses from east to west behind the chimney. There is a bedroom in each LORENZO SNOW HOUSE HABS No. U-45 (Page 5) t arm of the cross except the east wing where the upper stair hall occupies the rear half and a small room with a door to the porch roof or gallery occupies the front half.

More recent additions at the south filled the southwest cor- ner of the cross and nearly doubled the second floor area. 2. Stairways: The sole stairway has 20 risers and winders at the bottom and midway. The balustrade is almost missing. The stringer is ornamented with scroll motif at each tread. 3. Flooring: Sh" pine boards over wood joists. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: Wallpaper over plastered brick walls and wood lath ceilings. 5. Doorways and doors: First floor doors are paneled and set in deep paneled openings. The panels are marbleized and the surrounding woodwork painted and grained. 6. Lighting, type of fixtures: Modern electric fixtures have replaced the original gas fixtures. The plaster moldings for gas fixtures may be seen in the entrance hall and the center room. 7.

Heating: Fireplaces and stoves. Mantel in front room is of metal painted to resemble black marble with narrow lines of painted gold. It is now somewhat rusty. D. Site and Surroundings: 1. Orientation: The house faces Forest Street on the north. 100 West Street is the west boundary of the site. Com- mercial structures have been built against the house at the east and close to the northwest corner. The rest of the site is now a gravelled parking lot. Prepared by C. W. Barrow, Jr. Student Assistant Architect Utah Project July 15, PART III. PROJECT INFORMATION This record is part of a Utah Survey conducted in the summers of and under joint sponsorship of the Historic American Buildings LORENZO SNOW HOUSE HABS No.

U-45 (Page 6) Survey of the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation of the National Park Service and the Utah Heritage Foundation. Field work, historic research and record drawings were done under the direction of Project Supervisor Paul Goeldner, AIA (Texas Tech University) assisted by Project Historian John Giusti, AIA {University of Utah) . Photographs were made by P. Kent Fairbanks of Salt Lake City. Student Assistant Architects on the team were Robert M. Swanson and Charles W, Barrow, {University of Texas) and Kenneth L. Lambert and Keith Sorenson, (University of Utah). Student Assistant Architects were Keith Sorenson, Charles D. Harker and Robert Schriever, {University of Utah), and Donald G. Prycer, (Texas A. S M. University).