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Thomas Kearns Mansion and Carriage House

The Utah Governor’s Mansion is the official residence of the Governor of Utah and family. It is located at 603 E. South Temple St., Salt Lake City, Utah.

Built 1900-1902 of Sanpete Limestone.

Architect Carl M. Neuhausen.

Governor’s Mansion 1937-1957.

Thomas Kearns rose from modest beginnings to become a successful financier and United States Senator. He was born on April 11, 1862, on a farm in Ontario, Canada, the son of Margaret and Thomas Kearns. His family moved to Nebraska when Thomas was seven. At the age of 17 he went to South Dakota when gold was discovered in the Black Hills» After that he went to Arizona where he worked as a miner and a teamster. In 1883 he arrived in Utah and secured employment with the Denver Rio Grande Railroad. He went to Park City, Utah, in the summer of 1883 and worked in the mines. Working in the Ontario Mine, Kearns met his lifelong friend and advisor, David Keith. By 1892 Kearns, Keith, John Judge and others, leased mining property in Park City and formed the Silver King Mining Company. The profits from this mine were great, and the land holdings of this company increased. In 1907 the Silver King Coalition Mines Company was formed with Kearns as vice-president and Keith as President. In 1901 he acquired the Salt Lake Tribune. He was a noted philanthropist, and erected St. Anne f s Orphanage in Salt Lake City and gave generously to Catholic charities. He was a staunch Republican and was elected to the United States Senate in 1901. In Washington he became a close friend of Theodore Roosevelt.

He married Jennie Judge, of New York, in 1890. They had two sons and two daughters. Kearns died in October 1918. The home remained in the family until 1937 when Mrs. Judge donated it to the State of Utah. It was used as the governor’s mansion from 1937 to 1957, when it became the offices ‘of the Utah State Historical Society. In 1978 the home was vacated for a massive renovation and restoration project. After it was completed it started being used as the governor’s mansion.

The Kearns Mansion has a stone exterior richly detailed with round towers at three of its four corners.

At the time of the building, the mansion contained 28 rooms: 6 baths, ten fireplaces (of which nine remain), an all-marble kitchen and bathroom, a bowling alley, ballroom, billiard room, two parlors, two dining rooms, and three vaults (one for silver, one for wine, and one for jewelry). Cost of construction was approximately $250,000.00.

The carriage house is one of Utah’s most elaborate and best preserved carriage houses. It was built to serve-the Kearns Mansion, built by mining magnate Thomas Kearns. For many years it was the home of the Utah State Institute of Fine Arts. In 1978 the Institute moved next door to 617 East South Temple.

Keith-Brown Mansion and Carriage House

This building was designed by Frederick Albert Hale, a prominent Utah architect, and constructed of Sanpete limestone between 1898 and 1900. Characteristic of the Neoclassical style, it incorporates colossal colonnades, a pedimented portico, and symmetrical facade. Architectural features on the interior include an octagonal-shaped room that extends two stories high and is capped by a domed, stained-glass window. Built for David Keith and his family, this home reflects a style of living made possible through the success of the Park City mining industry. Keith, in cooperation with Thomas Kearns and others, helped to build the Silver King Coalition Mines Company which extracted more than ten million dollars in minerals between 1892 and 1907. Keith’s influence extended to other areas, including his help in financing and publishing the “Salt Lake Tribune”, building this substantial home on what was then called Brigham Street, developing businesses, and making charitable contributions. Keith, along with his wife and son, lived here until 1916. The property was then sold to Ezra Thompson, mayor of Salt Lake, who lived here with his family until 1939. Between 1939 and 1968 the house was occupied by H. Ross and Norinne Thompson Brown.

Built 1898-1900 for David Keith, mining magnate.

Architect: Frederick Albert Hale Purchased and renovated 1914 by Ezra Thompson former Mayor of Salt Lake

Presently owned by H. Ross and Norinne Thompson Brown.

Leased and renovated 1969 by Terracor