- Historic Buildings -

William & Caroline Weeks Home
Location: 965 Young Street

William and Caroline Weeks married in 1839 in Quincy, Illinois, and they moved to Nauvoo in 1841. William’s father and brothers were also builders, and he learned his craft working in the family business. He left it to join the Church. In Nauvoo, Joseph Smith asked for design ideas for the newly announced temple. When William submitted his plans, Joseph exclaimed “You are the man I want!” They would work together for nearly two years until the design aligned with Joseph’s vision of the temple. William also supervised the temple’s construction until the Saints were forced to leave Nauvoo.

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Image Gallery

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Weeks Home
Weeks Home
William built this home in 1841 with conveniences like a basement kitchen. He also included design features such as an arched doorway to demonstrate his skill to potential clients.
Studio
Parlor studio
The home was also William's studio. Clients could see design options by looking at his home or materials he had on hand. For instance, two fireplaces are finished with different paint, one to look like marble and one more traditional wood. The marbled hearth today was recreated using paint chips found during the home's restoration.
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Parlor
Guests and clients would have found the parlor inviting and comfortable, as suggested by this period-style couch. The doorway leads to a day room, while family bedrooms were upstairs.
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Office
Replicas of William's drawings sit in the office, along with replica tools that would have been used in the 1840s. The drawings show Weeks' attention to detail. The trash barrel by the window represents the fact that the temple design was a process.
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Day Room
This room has been furnished to represent how Caroline could attend to napping or playing children while she completed household tasks or welcomed visitors. She and William eventually had ten children, but only three lived to adulthood. Two passed away during their time in Nauvoo.
Drawings
Drawings
William drew inspiration from 19th century architectural trends, but he was instructed by Joseph Smith on visual elements that made the Nauvoo temple unique.
1967
1967 Appearance
The original home was added onto, remodeled, painted, and remodeled again over the years before it was restored to its original size and appearance.
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1980-2019 Appearance
After the Church acquired the home, it was used at times to house missionaries serving as guides in the historic sites.
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View from the Parlor
The Weeks family fell away from the Church after moving to Utah, but their descendants in California protected his drawings and later donated them to the Church. That gift enabled the 2002 reconstruction to closely follow William's original design and restore the view from this home's front window.
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Weeks Home
Studio
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Drawings
1967
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