William H. Ray House, Historic residential building in Provo, United States.
The William H. Ray House is a brick residence at 415 South University Avenue, built around 1898 and now divided into apartments. It combines Romanesque Revival elements with classical detailing in a personalized manner, one of seven Victorian mansions erected in Provo between 1893 and 1908.
The house was built in 1898 and belonged to William H. Ray, a founder of the State Bank of Provo and leader of the Ray Investment Company. The building dates from a period when the city was growing rapidly and wealthy businesspeople constructed homes as markers of their economic success.
William H. Ray was a prominent non-Mormon in Provo and a member of the Provo Community Congregational Church. His house, now divided into apartments, stands among the Victorian mansions built between 1893 and 1908 by the city's successful men, including the Knight and Twelves families.
The building sits on a main street in downtown Provo and is easy to view from outside, though surrounded by other structures. Visitors interested in late 1800s architecture can observe the facade details from the street.
The house was built by a non-Mormon businessman, making it a rare example from Provo's early years when religious diversity shaped the developing city. This characteristic reveals the varied backgrounds of people who contributed to the town's growth beyond one religious community.
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