Former Apostles' Home now serves other purpose (Campaign aims to fix up old home)
Deseret News 2Oct99 D1
By Dennis Romboy: Deseret News staff writer

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- The home that was built by LDS Church apostle John W. Taylor near the end of the last century is now serving as a boarding house for society's fringe - 20 or so formerly homeless veterans, recently released prisoners, guys with mental illnesses.

Sitting tucked behind several tall trees and a flower shop just off 700 East and 2700 South, the 108-year-old gray stone-and-masonry Romanesque Revival house, the local children affectionately call "the castle", serves a useful purpose despite having fallen into disrepair.

Lon Scow, a trustee for John Taylor House II Inc., the nonprofit organization that runs the home, wants to make it a little nicer for the tenants. It needs refurbishing inside and out, but the structure is solid and a safe candidate for reconstruction, though a full restoration would cost near two hundred thousand dollars.

John Taylor House II Inc. receives no federal or state money, relying solely on tenants' rent and community donations. The Utah Food Bank stocks the home's pantry. Scow said it takes anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 per month out of pocket to keep the house afloat, which very little for upkeep.

The organization has mounted a fund-raising campaign to upgrade the living conditions. Several companies already have donated paint, joint compound and carpet. The Church through its charitable-giving arm has agreed to provide 30 bedroom sets complete with mattresses, headboards and dressers. Another firm gave 30 school-type lockers that will be installed in tenants' rooms. More donations are expected.

John W. Taylor was the son of John Taylor, the third president of The Church. John W. Taylor served as an apostle from 1884 to 1905.