Livingston & Kinkead Store

Utah’s First Store

In 1850 the firm of Livingston & Kinkead opened its one-story store on East Temple Street. Other stores soon joined it making this street the city’s business district or “Main” Street. The Post Office and, for a few months, the Pony Express moved to the store’s adjoining warehouse in 1861.

The building was enlarged in 1866 with a two-story addition to the front and Brigham Young patriotically designated the structure the “Old Constitution Building.” Among the many tenants over the years were the Eldredge & Clawson store, Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution, and the Relief Society Women’s Commission store. In 1890 it was replaced by the Constitution Building, a new five-story brick office building designed by Robert Bowman, which for decades was one of the city’s major commercial structures. It was demolished during the downtown redevelopment of the 1970s.

The location was 34 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah

See other historic buildings in Salt Lake on this page.