The ten-story building has a concrete and steel structure and is covered with white glazed terra cotta and brick. At the time of his signing, according to Misaka, nonwhites were not allowed to stay in this hotel. In 1947, the first non-white professional basketball player, Wataru Misaka, signed his first NBA contract at this hotel. Anderson was eventually allowed to stay at the Hotel, on condition that she did not use the elevator and eat her meals in her hotel room. Lillian Evanti, Harry Belafonte, Marian Anderson, and Ella Fitzgerald were all denied hotel rooms. This policy extended to famous entertainers. Originally, the hotel allowed black employees, but no black guests. Nibley, from New York financier Charles Baruch.

The financing was secured by the LDS Church's presiding bishop, Charles W. 'The largest and finest bar in the West in the basement of the Hotel' to pay off a $2 million construction loan. While the LDS Church was the primary stockholder, many Mormon and non-Mormon community and business leaders also purchased stock in the effort to provide the city with a first-class hotel.

Two years later, on June 9, 1911, the Hotel Utah opened for business. Work on the Second Renaissance Revival style hotel, designed by the Los Angeles architectural firm of Parkinson and Bergstrom, began in June 1909.

Prior to construction of the Hotel Utah from 1909 to 1911, the general tithing office of the LDS Church, a bishop's storehouse, and the Deseret News printing plant all were located on the site. The corner of Main Street and South Temple has long been important in Utah history. On January 3, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Hotel Utah. Several levels of the building also serve as administrative offices for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) departments such as FamilySearch. It houses several restaurants and also functions as a venue for events. It is named in honor of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. The Joseph Smith Memorial Building, originally called the Hotel Utah, is a social center located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City.

Lds the testaments movie