Red Brick Store facts for kids
The Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois, was a building that was constructed and owned by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.
Original building
Smith constructed the Red Brick Store in 1841. The building became a center of economic, political, religious, and social activity among the Latter Day Saints. In addition to being a mercantile store, the second floor of the building also served as the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for a period of time. Members would visit the store to pay their tithing and other offerings to the church.
Notable events
A number of important events in Latter Day Saint history occurred in the Red Brick Store, including:
- the organization of the Relief Society, the church's organization for women, on March 17, 1842; and
- the first performance of the Nauvoo Endowment ordinance, on May 4, 1842.
Destruction and rebuilding
After Joseph Smith was killed and the majority of Latter Day Saints left Nauvoo, the Red Brick Store fell into disrepair. Eventually, it was torn down and the bricks were used to construct new buildings in Nauvoo.
In 1980, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now known as the Community of Christ) rebuilt the Red Brick Store on the original foundation as part of its 1980 sesquicentennial celebrations. The reconstructed Red Brick Store is now owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which purchased the structure on March 5, 2024 as part of a larger sale of historically significant artifacts and properties by the Community of Christ.
Manti, Utah
In Manti, Utah, the headquarters of the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC Church) is located in a building named the Red Brick Store in honor of Smith's original structure in Nauvoo.
See also
- Council House (Salt Lake City)
- Endowment House
- Anointed Quorum
- Plano Stone Church
