In 1841 church members were commanded to build two "houses," a house for the Lord (the Nauvoo Temple) and a house for man to be known as the Nauvoo House. It was to be "a delightful habitation for man, and a resting-place for the weary traveler." Joseph Smith donated the property and a "Nauvoo House Association" was incorporated to sell stock and oversee construction. The $100,000 building was to be "L form, presenting a front on two streets of 120 feet each, 40 feet deep, and three stories high, exclusive of the basement story." Only the foundation and part of the first floor were completed during Smith's lifetime.
Around 1865 Lewis Bidamon, second husband of Smith's widow Emma, began tearing down the original structure. The stone was used to build the Bidamon Stable to the north and the brick to complete the Nauvoo House as it appears today. Lewis and Emma eventually moved in and operated it as a hotel called the "Riverside Mansion" until Emma's death on April 30, 1879. Still known as the "Nauvoo House," the building today serves as a hostel for family reunions and youth groups.
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