This Historic Building Has A Surprising Past You’ll Want To Know

Thousands of cars have probably driven past this historic building without ever stopping to take a look at the historic sign out in front of it, or knowing what this unassuming building once was.

The building that sits at the corner of 15th Street and Western Avenue in Sioux Falls was once known as the Presentation Children's Home. In 1938, the Presentation Order of Sisters had appealed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for their help to build a permanent orphanage in Sioux Falls.

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Up until this became a reality, orphaned children in South Dakota were shuttled from one location to another. Although there was a children's home in Sioux Falls, there wasn't enough room to accommodate all the children who needed housing and care.

So in 1938, the City of Sioux Falls granted the Presentation Sisters the rights to the land at 15th & Western for 99 years. Local architects designed the building, and the WPA provided the labor to build it. Sioux Falls and the WPA provided half the money to build the orphanage, and the Presentation Sisters tried to raise the rest through multiple charity drives.

But due to the Great Depression, construction took much longer than was originally thought. But the home finally opened in 1940.

The number of children who were cared for at the home fluctuated according to need in the area. The ages of children were from 3 to 15, and they not only received shelter, but an education as well, with classes from 9 AM to 3:30 PM.

When children aged out of the home, boys were sent to foster homes or Boys Town in Omaha. Girls were sent to boarding school in Sioux Falls and surrounding cities.

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Enrollment began to decrease greatly in the 1960s, and in September of 1966, the orphanage and school officially closed. The building was then used to support the Sioux Falls school system with additional classroom space. Later, it became a building for Southeastern Vocational Technical Institute. Today, this historic building is home to the Garfield Apartments.

The National Register of Historic Places added the building to its list due to the architecture and also because it was a Works Progress Administration project.

So, the next time you drive past this historic place, you'll know a little bit more about it.

Source: Wikipedia