Horace Fishback House

This large, two-and-one-half-story house was built in 1902 for banker Horace Fishback and his family. Fishback, who had arrived in Brookings in 1880, established the First Bank and Trust and the private holding company known as Fishback Financial Corporation, which has grown into one of South Dakota’s largest private holding companies.

In 1885, Fishback purchased a recently built house at 501 Eighth Street. Blending features of the Queen Anne and Second Empire styles, the two-story house served as his residence until 1902, when the family relocated the house to 1001 Sixth Avenue in order to construct a large Classical Revival dwelling on the Eighth Street property. The architectural style and attention to detail reflect the owner’s wealth and status. A front pedimented portico supports large Ionic columns, and modillions and dentils adorn the pediment and eaves; a small, second-story balcony is situated above the entry door, which features sidelights and a transom window. The house rests on a cut stone foundation and is clad in horizontal wood siding. The truncated hipped roof is topped with a balustraded widow’s walk. Flat pilasters decorate the corners of the house. A porte-cochere extends from the west side of the house, its balustrades and decorative posts matching those on the widow’s walk and front balcony. On the east elevation is a screened sunporch.

In 1925, First Bank and Trust became known as the Security National Bank and was Brooking’s only bank to survive the Great Depression. The house and the bank continue to be owned by Fishback’s descendants. Fishback’s original residence, now on Sixth Avenue, is also owned by the family and has since been restored.