John B. Kelly was born in 1823 on the Isle of Man. He joined the LDS Church in 1841 on the Isle of Man and served as a missionary before "gathering to Zion" in 1853. After arriving in Salt Lake City, he established the first printing and bookbinding business in the Utah Territory.

His house, built around 1865, is a variant of the temple-form house which originated during the American Greek Revival period. The style became popular in New England and the upper midwest and migrated to Utah with the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints.

The temple-form is one of seven basic house types that were found in Mormon Utah during the early years of settlement:

• the square cabin
• the rectangular cabin
• the hall and parlor house
• the central passageway house
• the pair-house
• the double pen house

Because the temple-form house was found primarily in an area of Salt lake City which changed dramatically during the late 19th century, very few have survived. The Kelly House is one of only two temple-form houses in Utah to have a door centered on the gable facade and two side wings. The other example is the Alma Staker House in Mount Pleasant, listed in the National Register.

Source: NRHP nomination submitted in 1983