The boarding house was never completed, but the structure was later converted into a residential home and renamed the Riverside Mansion.

In January 1841, Joseph Smith received a revelation with instructions to construct a house in Nauvoo which would be "a resting-place for the weary traveler."

[1] George Miller, Lyman Wight, John Snider, and Peter Haws were appointed as the overseers of the project, and they created the Nauvoo House Association on February 23, 1841.

Construction of the Nauvoo House began later in 1841, with Smith placing the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon in the cornerstone of the building.

[6] The building was used by the church as a dormitory available for group rental, as well as a stop on their guided walking tour of the Joseph Smith Historic Site, until March 2024.