Built as a showpiece of wealth and taste in 1901, the McCune Mansion rises above downtown Salt Lake City — a red-sandstone Victorian with lavish interiors, a turbulent social past, and more than a few whispers of the paranormal.
Introduction
Perched on a hill north of Temple Square, the McCune Mansion is one of Utah’s most dramatic historic houses — part Victorian castle, part high-society salon. Commissioned by railroad and mining magnate Alfred W. McCune and crafted with exotic materials brought from around the globe, the house was completed at the turn of the 20th century and quickly became a setting for politics, music, and grand entertainment. Today it survives as a restored event venue and architectural treasure — but also as a place that attracts curious historians and paranormal investigators alike. Whether you love woodwork, want to follow the whispers of the past, or hunt orb-like anomalies in a candlelit ballroom, the McCune Mansion rewards a close look.
The History
Origins: Alfred and Elizabeth McCune
Alfred W. McCune (1849–1927) made his fortune in railroads, mining and related enterprises, becoming one of Utah’s early millionaires. He and his wife Elizabeth Claridge McCune were prominent social figures; the house they commissioned reflected both their wealth and Elizabeth’s cultured tastes. Alfred gave his architect carte blanche to create a residence that would rival anything in the American West.
Design and Construction (1898–1901)
Construction began in 1898 and was completed around 1901. Architect S.C. Dallas was sent on an extended study tour of America and Europe to research design motifs, and the finished home blends picturesque Shingle-style and Gothic influences with East Asian touches — a uniquely eclectic late-Victorian statement. The exterior is faced in red Utah sandstone while the interior features rare woods and finishes shipped from abroad. Contemporary accounts and later architectural surveys emphasize the home’s lavish materials: mahogany from far places, imported roof tiles, Nubian marble details, and an enormous mirror wall. The finished cost has been described as reaching the half-million to million-dollar range — in any case it was among the costliest private homes in Utah at the time.
Public Life: Music, Education, and Community
The McCunes lived in the house until about 1920; after that, the couple donated the property to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with ideas for its civic use. It later became the McCune School of Music and Art and then a BYU Salt Lake City center, hosting dance, music and education programs for decades. Over the 20th century the mansion passed through multiple caretakers and uses, sustaining some damage and changes until a major restoration around 1999–2001 returned much of the house to its original architectural splendor. The property was recognized for its historic value when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Architecture Highlights and Notable Rooms
- Exterior: Red sandstone massing, asymmetrical towers, and steep roofs that make the mansion read like a Victorian castle.
- Interiors: Two ballrooms, richly paneled rooms, elaborate plasterwork, and rare wood finishes shipped from around the globe.
- Carriage house & grounds: The property retains auxiliary building fabric and terraced landscaping that emphasize the mansion’s prominence above the city.
Restoration and Modern Use
The mansion we see today reflects careful restoration work that began in the late 1990s and was undertaken to repair tornado damage and general age-related decay. The restored McCune Mansion now operates primarily as a private event venue, though its architecture and history remain open to historians and guided visitors by appointment.
The Haunt
Where grand houses harbor stories of public triumph, they also tend to collect ghost stories. The McCune Mansion has attracted local reports of unexplained phenomena — the kind of anecdotes that draw ghost-hunters and midnight cameras alike.
What people report
- Apparitions & presences: Some visitors and staff have reported the feeling of being watched or glimpses of shadowy figures moving through the house late at night.
- Moving objects: A recurring theme in anecdotal reports is small furniture or objects seeming to move on their own during events — especially in older, lightly used rooms.
- Event interruptions: Several wedding- and event-related anecdotes describe unexplained noises, sudden temperature changes, or lights behaving oddly during receptions.
Context & skepticism
As with any historic property, some “paranormal” experiences can be explained by environmental factors: old plumbing, drafts in tall rooms, settling timbers, and the acoustics of high ceilings. That said, the mansion’s long social life, its connections to a family prominent in mining and politics, and its use as a music and dance school (spaces which tend to accumulate emotional memory) make it a natural magnet for storytelling. Investigators who arrive well-prepared — with an eye for ruling out mundane causes first — often find the McCune Mansion provides evocative locations for controlled experiments.
Notable paranormal notes for investigators
- Ballrooms & performance spaces: These rooms have hosted decades of gatherings, and are often named in anecdotal reports — acoustically interesting for EVP work.
- Tile roofs and towers: Unusual rooflines create draft patterns that can be misread as cold spots; bring thermal tools but verify airflows before interpreting results.
- Private access only: The mansion is primarily a private event space — investigators should never trespass; contact the venue for permitted, supervised investigations.
Conclusion: Why paranormal investigators should visit
The McCune Mansion is a living museum of Utah’s Gilded Age — an architectural feast that also happens to be threaded with the kinds of stories paranormal investigators love: eyewitness accounts, odd phenomena during events, and the weight of a century of human activity. If you’re a methodical investigator you’ll appreciate the mansion’s clearly defined historic spaces, its documented provenance, and the venue’s willingness to host historical tours and private, permitted events.
Practical tips: plan ahead (the McCune is appointment-only), secure permission for any equipment, pair EMF/temperature logging with careful baseline checks, and — most importantly — respect the structure and the staff. Document what you find, share your data with local historical groups, and remember that the best investigations are the ones that treat the house as both artifact and witness. The McCune Mansion rewards those who come with curiosity, respect, and a good flashlight.
References
- McCune Mansion Official Site — History
- Wikipedia — Alfred McCune Home
- SAH Archipedia — McCune Mansion
- Salt Lake City History Blog — Haunted History of the McCune Mansion
- Haunted Houses — McCune Mansion
- Only in Your State — Haunted McCune Mansion
- Library of Congress — Historic American Buildings Survey: Alfred W. McCune Home
- History Traveler — Touring the McCune Mansion