The Anniversary Inn South Temple location sits in the historical Avenues section of Salt Lake City on South Temple and 7th East.

The Victorian-style mansion was built in 1889 by Emanuel Kahn and is on the National Historic Registry. It retains all of its charm and many of its original features. Each of its 13 luxury suites are designed around a specific theme providing our guests with a unique experience each time they stay with us.

If you are looking for a touch of romance, you may want to stay in one of our elegant rooms, such as the Capitol Retreat or the Anniversary Inn Suite. If you are looking for a hint of adventure, you may choose to sleep in the Mysteries of Egypt Suite, or the Enchanted Forest

Among the first Jewish merchants to establish a permanent business in Utah were Samuel and Emanuel Kahn. Natives of Germany, Samuel was born in 1836 and Emanuel eight years later in 1844. Samuel Kahn came to America in 1851 at the age of fifteen. He lived in Philadelphia for about seven years before moving west to Danville, Illinois, where he spent two years. Apparently while Samuel was still in Illinois, Emanuel arrived in the United States from Germany. In 1859 Samuel became involved in the freighting business and this led to the establishment of a store in Salt Lake City. Samuel accompanied a wagon train to Utah where he sold a wagon load of merchandise, then returned to the east to prepare for a second trip in 1860. By 1863 Samuel had joined in partnership with George Bodenberg, and their firm became one of the leading distributors of groceries throughout Utah, Idaho and Montana. The partnership lasted until 1867 when it was dissolved and Samuel joined with Emanuel, who came west to Utah in 1867, to form the Kahn Brothers Store. Continuing in the grocery business, their store became one of the largest in Salt Lake City. A branch was established at Corrinne following the establishment of Utah’s “first gentile city,” with the coming of the railroad in 1869.

The closeness as brothers and business partners extended to marital affairs as they married two sisters. In 1866 Samuel married Sarah Cohen and later Emanuel married Fanny Cohen. Both were daughters of Briner Cohen.

In public affairs the younger Kahn seemed greatly overshadowed by his older brother. While Samuel took an interest in political and social affairs, Emanuel was content to devote his time and efforts toward the business and, his religion. The obituary which appeared in the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE February 1, 1905, suggests a life of over dedication to work: “… (His) greatest fault seems to have been a too close application to business affairs. Mr. Kahn usually devoting about eighteen hours a day to work.”

Another account in THE PIONEER JEWS OF UTAH described Emanuel Kahn as “. . .a quiet and reserved man, interested himself in the religious affairs of the community and was a trustee and officer of Congregation B’nai Israel.”

B’nai Israel, founded in 1881, was the first Jewish Congregation in Utah. Emanuel Kahn was one of the founding members and served as treasurer for the congregation during the time the synagogue was constructed in 1891.

Later Emanuel became displeased with the liberal course of the congregation as it adopted the practices of Reform Judaism and participated in the founding of the Orthodox Congregation Montefiore in 1899. 

In addition to his church activity, Emanuel Kahn was an active member of the Masons The fraternal organizations were especially popular among the Jewish merchants because of the amount of traveling which they did and the help which they were assured in case of trouble or illness. In addition, the fraternal orders offered an excellent means to make social and business contacts in a community. Emanuel Kahn served as Secretary of Wasatch Lodge No. 1. Ne was one of the leaders in the establishment of a Masonic Library in Salt Lake City in 1874. He personally raised $2,500 for the library which was the first non-Mormon library in Utah. The collection, which was open to the public, emphasized mining in the west and literature.

Emanuel Kahn died on January 31, 1905, in San Francisco where he had moved two years earlier for health reasons. In reviewing his life, the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE of February 1, 1905, noted: “In the death of Emanuel Kahn, Salt Lake and the West lost one of the best of businessmen, a man entirely devoted to his career. For a generation he was closely identified with the foremost interests contributing to the upbuilding of this section. Those who have known him for so many years, and especially old-time businessmen, are deeply shocked by the sad word.”

Architectural History (written in 1977)

The Emanuel Kahn Home is a notable example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture. The residence is two and one half stories tall and is constructed of red brick with sandstone trim. The building features irregularity of plan and massing, variety of textures and materials, a high multiple roof, a polygonal turret, a bay window, fancy corbeled chimneys, intricate woodworking, decorative porches, and small glass panes around the upper sash windows, all of which are typical Queen Anne characteristics.

The original polychrome exterior color scheme has disappeared beneath coats of white paint. The exterior is otherwise unaltered, excepting a small frame addition made to the rear (south) side of the home. The Kahn residence was recently purchased by Steven T. Baird, restoration architect, who plans to fully restore the exterior and partially restore the interior for use as his office. The owner also plans to remove non-original interior partitions which were added when the home was divided into apartments Fortunately, the original walls, mouldings, fireplaces, doors, etc., are largely intact. 

Located on the corner of a major intersection in the South Temple Street Historic District, the Kahn home is considered an important district landmark. The decorative polygonal turret faces the intersection and is well known as a streetscape focal point. 

Henry Monheim was one of Utah’s first non-Mormon architects to settle in territorial Utah and make a significant impact on local architects. Monheim f s pre-Utah background is unknown, having been omitted from even his obituary, but Monheim is known to have come to Corinne, Utah, a railroad boomtown of 1870, later settling in Salt Lake City in 1871. By 1872 Monheim had been commissioned to design major buildings including the Methodist Episcopal Church, Church of St. Mary Magdalene, and the R. N. Baskin Mansion. Monheim advertised as an architect and builder and also appeared in early directories as a carpenter. Most of his major commissions were for buildings for the non-Mormon community. By the late 1880 ! s, Monheim was particularly fond of the Richardsonian Romanesque style which was quite popular in America at the time. As co-architect of the B’nai Israel Temple (1889) and designer of Fremont School (1890), Monheim proved his adeptness in the rugged masonry style. The gargantuan Salt Lake City and County Building, completed after Monheim’s death in 1893, was the crowning achievement in Monheim’s distinguished career, although much of the design credit for this particular structure must go to his partners, Bird and Proudfoot, from Wichita, Kansas. 

That Monheim was highly regarded by his peers is apparent from his election in 1891 as president of the “Salt Lake Institute of Architects,” an association which adopted the by-laws of the “American Institute of Architects” and thus became the first known association of architects in Utah. Under Monheim 1 s direction, local requirements for licensing professional architects were effected, bringing to an end the era of unlicensed jack-of-all-trades builder/architects. 

Documentation of Monheim’s involvement with the Kahn residence is found in The Western Architect and Building News (August, 1889): “Mr. H. Monheim reports: Residence of Emanuel Kahn, pressed brick and Kyune stone, 2 stories, attic and basement, $10,000.” The same source indicated that Monheim also designed the adjacent home of Aleck Cohn (sic), razed in early 1976.