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The President’s Home

Sometime in 1909 or 1910 a Brigham Young University faculty member named Henry Peterson built a home on Temple Hill. In 1923 this home came into the possession of Brigham Young University and in 1927 the Brigham Young University Board of Trustees decided that it was an ideal location for the home of the university’s president. The home underwent extensive renovation in 1928 and upon completion of the renovation work Franklin S. Harris became the first university president to occupy the home.

Remodeling the President's Residence, 1928

Remodeling the President's Residence, 1928

It quickly became know as the President’s Residence and served every president from Harris through Jeffrey R. Holland.

President's Home, n. d.

President's Home, n. d.

In 1990 the residence became the location of the University Visitor’s Center and served this function until 2008 when it became the home of the Office of Graduate Studies. There are several collections in the University Archives that document the history of the President’s Residence. They include:

  • UA 827 Brigham Young University Campus Building photographs, 1882-1983.  This collection contains photographs of various campus buildings including the President’s Residence.  To access the finding aid for this collection, click here.
  • UA 1260 Brigham Young University Physical Plant Dept. President’s Home plans and landscape design, ca. 1930-1998.  This collection contains copies of the landscape architecture plans for the President’s Home from the early 1930s and the 1960s as well as copies of the “as-built drawings” for the Visitor’s Center.  the President’s Home became the Visitor’s Center in 1990.
  • UA 1264 Brigham Young University Archives Oral Histories about the President’s Home, 2006.  This collection contains two oral history interviews about the President’s Home. The interviews are with Matt Holland, faculty member and son of BYU President Jeffrey Holland, and Ronald Clark, the director of Public Affairs and Guest Relations.

If you would like to know more about the President’s Residence, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-6091 or cory_nimer@byu.edu.

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