Church plans to close 3 historic buildings near Temple Square in 2023 for renovations

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — Three prominent historic buildings along South Temple will undergo renovations next year, which will result in closures expected to last into 2025, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Tuesday.

The church plans to begin renovation work on the Beehive House, the Lion House and Joseph Smith Memorial Building next year. The Lion House has been closed since 2020, while the Beehive House will close on April 8, 2023. Crews will work to fix “structural deficiencies,” as well as preserve aging finishes, replace outdated mechanical systems and update “the guest experience,” officials said in a statement.

Crews will also begin work to upgrade electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in early 2023, which will close off the building, its restaurants and event spaces. All three buildings are scheduled to reopen in 2025, according to the church.

The Beehive House, built in 1854, is the oldest of the three buildings. It was the official residence of Brigham Young, Lorenzo Snow and Joseph F. Smith, three of the church’s presidents in its history. The Lion House, constructed two years later, served as the family home for Young, who was also Utah’s first governor.

The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is the largest of the three. It was completed in 1911 originally as Hotel Utah, and remained a hotel until 1987. The church then turned the building into an office and meeting space in 1993.

The renovations announced Tuesday come as work continues on renovating the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square, a project that began in late 2019. The massive project is also expected to be completed in 2025.