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…