Dec. 3, 2018

The site of a former Sioux Falls fire station and the city’s first library is being transformed into an office for Stone Group Architects, and there’s room for a few small-business owners to share the space.

Stone Group bought the property at 600 E. Seventh St. from the city of Sioux Falls earlier this year. It was built in 1916 as a fire station and added onto in 1918 for a library.

It had been used as storage for the city’s parks and recreation department.

Stone designed its office space and is serving as the general contractor on the project.

“It’s going to have a lot of character,” owner Todd Stone said. “It will feel like an older building. We’re trying to embrace that.”

The 5,750-square-foot space will bring welcome room for Stone Group, which was founded in 2012 and now has a dozen people cramped in an office at 319 N. Main Ave.

“We kind of knew the way we wanted to lay it out. We did the upstairs a couple different ways, but it didn’t take long to figure out how to maximize light and make the space efficient,” Stone said.

The first floor will include a reception area, break room, conference space, Stone’s office and a large open area for staff. They’re even bringing back the fire pole that used to be in the building for an authentic touch.

“We want the space as open as possible,” Stone said.

The upstairs is being finished too, but the firm doesn’t need that much space yet. It’s growing with employees in other markets, including the Twin Cities area and Kansas City, where it’s opening an office in January.

So Stone and Gregg Brown of NAI Sioux Falls decided to market the balance of the building as co-working space.

“The real idea is we’re trying to share this historic renovation and bring this building back to life,” said Brown, who has the space listed. “For years it wasn’t accessible to the public.”

There are several small offices available and one larger 1,800-square-foot space that is envisioned for a small team or group of like-minded entrepreneurs. The upper level is designed to accommodate up to eight people.

Rents range from $350 to $650 per month.

“It’s a way for Stone Group to generate some income and have other tenants that may want to collaborate, and it’s a way for those entrepreneurs or individuals who want a spot to work and claim as their own in a cool, historic, renovated building to do that for a period of time,” Brown said.

Agreements will be fairly short, likely six to 12 months in length to give both sides flexibility, he said.

Co-workers will have access to Stone’s conference room, Wi-Fi and kitchen.

The upstairs is where the historic nature of the building shines, Stone added.

“We’re trying to salvage as much as possible. It will feel very warm and cozy,” he said.

They’re keeping lockers that were built into part of the space for firemen too.

There’s also potential to add rooftop gathering space in later years.

The plan is for Stone to move in January and for the co-working space to become available soon after.

The building is on the same block as Heritage Park. The exterior also will get an upgrade, with a restored facade, diagonal parking and landscaping.

“The bigger issue here is that we want to be part of instigating more development on Weber Avenue,” Stone added.

“And we don’t mind that Fernson and Breadico are a block away. We’ve been to both a lot since we started this.”