Downtown in Sioux Falls in Minnehaha County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The Government Building

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2016

1. The Government Building Marker (side 1)

Inscription.
(side 1)
In 1891, the Unites States Government purchased the southeast corner lot on Phillips Avenue and 12th Street for $8,000 for the construction of a government building. While everyone agreed that the fledgling city of Sioux Falls needed such a building, the site selected came about after a bitter fight among competing businessmen.

A group of men led by two of the very earliest settlers of Sioux Falls, Wilmot W. Brookings and John McClellan, wanted the building located on the “north end” of Phillips Avenue. They all had economic interests in that area and wanted to enhance the value of their property. A second group, led by South Dakota Senator R.F. Pettigrew, was interested in developing their property at the “south end” of Phillips Avenue. Each group offered incentives to the federal government.

Senator Pettigrew introduced a bill in Congress to provide funds for the project. While waiting for the outcome, he and his syndicate improved South Phillips Avenue and gathered signatures from people who favored their site. Congress passed the bill, and after due consideration, the Secretary of

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Treasury chose Phillips Avenue and 12th Street for the new public building. This aroused a protest from the “north end” crowd, and the site location was again debated in Washington, D.C. However, the Secretary’s decision prevailed, and construction on this site began in 1892. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) Pettigrew was determined that the building be constructed of Sioux quartzite in support of the local quarry industry. Two of his associates were awarded contracts. Jacob Schaetzel, the first mayor of Sioux Falls (1883-1885), did the excavating, and C.W. Hubbard of the Sioux Falls Granite Company erected the building with stone obtained from the Jasper Stone Company quarry. The renowned Wallace Dow was the supervising architect. Although not everyone was satisfied with the site, all agreed that Pettigrew’s efforts brought an important project to Sioux Falls. It provided jobs for a number of men during the depression which followed the financial “Panic of 1893” and also gave the citizens of the community a greater sense of stability and permanence.

The two-story building

The Government Building Marker (<i>side 2</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2016

2. The Government Building Marker (side 2)

was completed at a cost of $152,000 and was opened to the public on May 17, 1895. The exterior with its simple materials, large massing, and great rounded arches shows the influence of the Richardsonian-Romanesque architectural style, so popular in the 1890s. The interior housed a post office on the first floor and a federal courtroom on the second floor. A third story was added in 1911, and in 1931 a two-story wing was added to the east side of the building. The post office moved to a new facility in 1968.

This handsome stone building is one of Sioux Falls’ finest examples of the stone cutters’ art and of local building practices of the late nineteenth century.

Dedicated in 1995 by the
Minnehaha County, SD State and
District of SD Branch of US Courts
Historical Societies,
Citibank, Mary Chilton DAR Foundation and
Judge Peder K. Ecker

Erected 1995 by Minnehaha County, SD, State and District of SD Branch of US Courts, Historical Societies, Citibank, Mary Chilton DAR Foundation and Judge Peder K. Ecker. (Marker Number 656.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture •

The Government Building Marker (<i>tall view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2016

3. The Government Building Marker (tall view)

Government & Politics • Man-Made Features. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and the South Dakota State Historical Society Markers series lists.

Location. 43° 32.58′ N, 96° 43.597′ W. Marker is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in Minnehaha County. It is in Downtown. It is on South Phillips Avenue south of East 12th Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located along the sidewalk, beside the tall wrought-iron fence securing the parking lot on the south side of the subject building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 South Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls SD 57104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At

The Government Building (<i>southwest corner view; marker visible in foreground</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2016

4. The Government Building (southwest corner view; marker visible in foreground)

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Calvary Cathedral (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Official Olympic Flagpole (about 500 feet away); The First School House (about 500 feet away); Washington High School (about 500 feet away); Eliza Tupper Wilkes (about 700 feet away); Nils A. Boe (about 700 feet away); Lt. Jonas Lien (about 700 feet away); Seacoast Gun (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sioux Falls.

The Government Building (<i>northwest corner view from 12th & Phillips intersection</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2016

5. The Government Building (northwest corner view from 12th & Phillips intersection)

The Government Building (<i>main entrance featuring Romanesque arch</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2016

6. The Government Building (main entrance featuring Romanesque arch)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 541 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 5, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.