This well-known Prairie School home was built for Isaac A. (“Ike”) and Emily Hancock in 1913 as one of the first structures in Yale Park. The Yale Park subdivision was platted in 1913; and recorded and marketed in the same year by the Ashton – Jenkins Company (Edward T. Ashton was Raymond’s father). Yale Park was the first residential subdivision in SLC to have bitulithic paved streets, sewage, gas mains, telephone service, city water, electric light, and double parking on each side of the street (Every modern convenience). The subdivision was heavily promoted in the local newspapers and attracted prominent Utahns (Historic landmark).

Hancock was vice-president of Hancock Brothers Fruit Company, one of the earliest fruit and produce companies in Utah. His relationship with the Ashton family began as early as 1907 when he and Edward T. Ashton (Raymond’s father) were on the first board of directors of the new Jeremy Fuel and Grain Company (New companies formed).

Hancock bought a very large corner property which originally included both the lot directly east of the house as well as the lot directly south of the house adjoining Red Butte Creek. The east lot was used as a rose garden and the south lot held a summer home on a terraced wooded area near the creek. Both lots were eventually sold: the east lot has had a difficult history: in 1970 a brick duplex was built and then destroyed in 2003 at which time a neo-French home was built. The south lot has two contemporary residences overlooking the creek. These four structures on the original Hancock property have current value of nearly $6 million (National Park Service, 1993; Historic landmark).

Typical of Prairie School bungalows, the house has a low, horizontal emphasis. This horizontality is created by the low-pitched hip roof with wide eaves, the full width, wrap-around front porch with a brick railing wall, and the porte-cochere. The house appears very heavy and large (a total of over 4000 square feet on the main floor and basement combined). It rests on a large, rusticated sandstone foundation, and the exterior walls are a very dark reddish-brown fired brick. The use of these natural materials and earthen colors are also typical of the Prairie style home (National Park Service, 1993).

On either side of the front door are light fixtures (and now the National Register of Historic Places plaque) with a hand-crafted appearance. The front door and the side door to the dining room are heavy oak doors with Arts and Crafts type brass hardware and beveled glass inserts on the top half. The interior of the home has been modified and original photos and blueprints are unavailable as of 2024.

The Hancock family lived in the home only six years and sold it to George Albert and Lucy Emily Smith in 1919. The Hancocks moved to 1340 Yale, another Prairie School home right down the street.

The house is most significant for its association with George Albert Smith, long-time apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church and president of the church from 1945 until 1951. Smith bought the house in 1919 and remained there until his death in 1951. It is interesting that after purchasing the home, he immediately left to become president of the European Mission (June 1919) and lived in Europe until July 1921 (National Park, 1993). Many church and state functions were held on the park-like grounds of the home and creek area. Of particular note was a garden party held on the 1302 Yale Avenue property in July, 1947, the year of the Pioneer Centennial as well as the year that the “This is the Place” Monument was erected. The garden party hosted over 400 guests, including Utah Governor Maw and the governors of the other 46 states and their wives (Smith, George Albert, house).

As of 1993 (National Park Service), no major exterior alterations had been made to the house and it retained a high degree of its original integrity.