Abraham O. Smoot Administration Building

Abraham O. Smoot was president of the Board of Trustees of Brigham Young Academy for 20 years and did everything in his power to assure the success of the academy. In those early days of the academy, many sacrificed much so the school could continue to operate. Faculty members went without pay, received very little pay, or were paid in sugar beets, carrots, or other tradable goods. Seeing this hardship, Abraham Smoot gave so unselfishly of himself and his finances that at his death it was learned he was bankrupt, having used his personal fortune to keep the doors of the academy open.

There’s an old story that when Brigham Young called Abraham Smoot in to instruct him to go to Provo, Brother Smoot indicated he was not excited about moving to Provo, which was little more than a wide spot on the wagon track between Salt Lake City and southern Utah and lacked the refinements of the big city. After some discussion of the pros and cons, Brigham Young settled the discussion with, “You can either go to Provo or you can go to Hell.” Evidently Provo didn’t seem quite as bad as Hell because Abraham Smoot came. There were others who felt much the same toward Provo, but Brigham Young was very persuasive. He convinced Karl G. Maeser and other educational leaders to settle in the valley, then supported an educational program that continues to provide education to all who are willing to learn.

This building houses most of the university’s administrative staff, as well as offices for scholarships, registration, admissions, employment services, and others.