Zions First National Bank

One of the West's major banks began as a Latter-day Saint thrift experiment. Brigham Young founded Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company in 1873, in the wake of a financial panic, to encourage ordinary people to save; by 1890 it had settled into the Templeton Building on this corner. It came through the Great Depression intact, took the name Zions First National Bank after a 1957 merger, and moved next door when the Kennecott Building replaced the Templeton in 1965. Today Zions Bank counts more than 200 branches across Utah and Idaho.

What the plaque says

One of Utah‘s oldest financial institutions Brigham Young founded Zion Savings Bank and Trust Company in 1873 to promote thrift and generate savings for investments in the wake of a financial panic. For the first few years the bank operated out of various fronts on Main Street, but in 1890 it moved to spacious new quarters at this site in the Templeton Building. The bank successfully weathered the financial difficuines of the Great Depression and in 1957 changed its name to Zion First National Bank when it merged with two other financial institutions. In 1965 the bank moved into its current quarters when the Kennecott Building replaced the Templeton Building. Today, the bank has more than 200 branches in Utah and Idaho and is one of the most influential banking institutions in the West. After a renovation in 2007, the bank's home office is now known as the Zions Bank Building.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Salt Lake City — steps away
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.
• Temple Square — steps away
  The spiritual and architectural heart of Salt Lake City
• Ensign Peak — 1.5 mi
  A short hike to the spot where Brigham Young surveyed the valley
• Liberty Park — 1.9 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882

More markers nearby

• ZCMI Co-Op Building — steps away
• “Leaning into the Light,” Joseph Smith, the Boy – Statue — steps away
• Old Folks Day — steps away
• Great Salt Lake Base and Meridian — steps away