Lewis S. & Theresa B. Hills House

Lewis Hills helped invent banking in Utah. Arriving in 1862, he prospered in the mercantile trade and then, in 1868, helped found the territory's first bank — the private firm that grew into the Deseret National Bank, where he served as cashier and later president. His hand was in much of early Utah finance besides: ZCMI, Beneficial Life, the company that became the state's telephone utility. This Victorian house, built around 1905 on a fashionable residential street, was the home a self-made banker built once he had thoroughly arrived.

What the plaque says

This Victorian Eclectic style house was built c. 1905 for financier and businessman Lewis S. Hills. After settling in Salt Lake City in 1862, Hills soon became involved in a successful mercantile business. That success led to the formation in 1868 of Utah Territory's first financial institution, a private banking firm which eventually became the Deseret National Bank. Hills served as cashier until 1892 when he was selected president. After his retirement in 1911 he was appointed chairman of the board of directors. Hills was also involved in numerous other business and banking ventures, including Z.C.M.I., Beneficial Life Insurance Company and A.J. Pattison and Company (later the Utah Telephone Company). The move from his old house on Second West to the more fashionable residential area on East First South was consistent with his rising social standing and with the general shift of upper and middle class residents toward the east side of the city. After his death in 1915, his wife Theresa and their daughter continued to live here until 1925. Marker placed in 1990

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Salt Lake City — 0.7 mi
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.
• Temple Square — 0.7 mi
  The spiritual and architectural heart of Salt Lake City
• Liberty Park — 1.6 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• Ensign Peak — 1.6 mi
  A short hike to the spot where Brigham Young surveyed the valley

More markers nearby

• First Presbyterian Church — steps away
• David Keith Mansion — 0.2 mi
• Cathedral of the Madeleine — 0.2 mi
• Gentsch-Thompson House — 0.3 mi