Phillips Avenue Plaza

Phillips Avenue Plaza. . Western Surety Building , P.H. Edmison built the Edmison Block in 1875. A fire destroyed the building in 1889., The Edmison-Jameson Building, later known as the Minnehaha Building, was a 6-story building designed by Architect Wallace Dow in 1890 for P.H. Edmison and James Jameson. The 6-story quartzite building cost $87,000 to build. Until 1912, this building was the tallest building in Sioux Falls., The building contained 71 offices, 7 apartments and 5 store fronts. The building's upper floors were mostly high-end business offices for lawyers who desired the close proximity to their clients staying at the Cataract Hotel; many of whom were seeking quick divorces because of South Dakota's relaxed divorce laws and short waiting period., In 1947, the original 6-story quartzite building had its top 4 floors removed for fire safety reasons. The front facade was also renovated at this time to have a more modern look, which was one of the first major construction projects downtown following World War II., In the 1970's the building facade received another face-lift, receiving a more rustic wood-clad siding., The Edmison-Jameson Building was removed in 1980 to make room for the Western Surety Building. The Western Surety Building was built in 1982 by the Kirby Family, which remains on the southwest corner of 9th Street and Phillips Avenue., First National Bank , The Emerson Block was built in 1881 by Frank Emerson on the southeast corner of 9th Street and Phillips Avenue., Brown's Drug Store, owned by Richard Brown, operated in the Edmison-Jameson Block from 1892 to 1916. Then the store relocated across the street to the Emerson Block; it operated there from 1917 to 1945., The original First National Bank, Brown's Drug Store and E.C. Olson Men's Clothing Store were removed in 1974 to make room for the new First National Bank. The bank still stands on the corner of 9th Street and Phillips Avenue., In hopes of achieving more shopping traffic Phillips Avenue was converted to a pedestrian mall from Ninth to Eleventh Street in 1973. It was unsuccessful and removed between 1986 and 1988., The eagle that once stood on top of the original First National Bank, now stands guard out front., Wells Fargo Bank , In 1871 the first hotel in Minnehaha County, The Cataract Hotel, was built by brothers W.H. and Harry Corson on the corner of 9th Street and Phillips Avenue. With increasing guest and demand for rooms, the hotel expanded in 1878 with a 3-story brick structure to the North., The original wooden frame building was moved in 1882 to Main Avenue to make room for the new hotel building, which was designed by Architect Wallace Dow in 1885. A 4th story was added to the structure in 1889. The original building was relocated again and today the historic building is apartments; it can be found at 120 S. Duluth Avenue., In 1886, when the house numbering system was established in Sioux Falls, numbers began at the intersection of 9th Street and Phillips Avenue., In June of 1900, the Cataract Hotel burned down from a fire caused by a front window display of fireworks., The Cataract Hotel was considered the center of the city, because the iconic hotel was the popular local gathering place for social events and important meetings., This disastrous 1900 fire destroyed the entire building and prompted the formation of the 1st paid fire department in Sioux Falls., Joseph Schwarz designed the hotel that was rebuilt in 1901. Polished granite was added to the building's facade in 1960 to create a more modern look, only to be torn down in 1973., On the former Cataract Hotel and adjacent building sites, the Northwest National Bank building and parking were built in 1974. It later became Norwest Bank, and is currently home to Wells Fargo Bank., Great Western Centre Building , Melvin Grigsby and Harry Corson built the Grigsby-Corson Block in 1879. The Grigsby-Corson Block housed the Post Office from 1879 to 1884., The Grigsby-Corson Block was removed in 1917 to make room for the Sioux Falls National Bank Building, which was built from 1917-1919 in its location. In 1929, Henry Carlson Company constructed an addition on the east end of the building., Richard F. Pettigrew built the Pettigrew Block in 1882, just north of the Sioux Falls National Bank Building, which would later become known as the Great Western Centre Building. The south third of the Pettigrew Block was razed to make way for the bank. To the north of the Pettigrew Block, Jake T. Gilbert built the Gilbert Block in 1894. This building later housed Sears Roebuck and Company., The Great Western Centre Building still stands on the northeast corner of 9th Street and Phillips Avenue.