Oct. 15, 2026

Jacobson Plaza has opened a new phase of development, including additional gathering space, a scenic overlook and the future site of the city’s Christmas tree.

The $2.6 million project was 90 percent funded by the plaza’s leader donor, the Garry Jacobson family, as well as the Rob Everist family.

“Phase two was quickly paid for with several private funds,” Jacobson said, thanking a range of people associated with the project. “I want all of you to take an opportunity to pitch in, be generous, serve your community. You can give money, you can give time. You can give support in a lot of ways.”

The expanded Jacobson Plaza includes improved pedestrian connections with Falls Park, the Levitt Shell and The Steel District.

A large, level lawn between the Levitt Shell’s lawn and Jacobson Plaza will support recreation, community gatherings and events throughout the year.

“This project truly transformed an underused green space, and long before that a former scrapyard, into a place we can gather, relax and make lasting memories,” Mayor Christine Erickson said.

“This is about a community partnership. This project demonstrates what is possible when public and private sectors work together.”

The project also adds a dedicated plaza with integrated lighting and electrical infrastructure. The city plans to use the space as the permanent home for its large Christmas tree, holiday celebrations and other community events.

It will be lit this holiday season on Nov. 20 in conjunction with the kickoff to Winter Wonderland at Falls Park.

“Winter Wonderland is immensely popular for our community, and we know the Christmas tree ceremony will only enhance it,” Erickson said. “We’re excited to build this as a beloved Sioux Falls tradition.”

Jacobson Plaza has been a transformational place for Sioux Falls, “and phase two is the glue to so much of it,” said Brett Kollars, assistant director of the Parks and Recreation Department. “Our department is thrilled about this project. … It’s an incredibly flexible space.”

Creating the project included “a lot of intricacies,” said Gavin Cotter, owner of Urban Oasis Outdoor Living, which served as construction manager. “From the beginning, we were dealing with contaminated soils, which added a lot of complexity, so that was involved in how we approached the project to safely work in the area. We had the Big Sioux River next to us, so environmentally there was a lot of attention on the project.”

Excavation also revealed rock because “when you look at the Falls, there’s quartzite everywhere,” Cotter said. That required adjustments over the 27 weeks spent on construction. There also were 15 concrete benches that needed to be set, each weighing 4,000 pounds, and “once the semitrailer came down … to keep them in the same condition we received them was interesting, so we used dry ice to set them and safely get our straps out, and then they melted into place.”

Other subcontractors included Soukup Construction, Nolz Dragline, Thompson Electric and Yellow Jacket Irrigation.

Construction is nearly all wrapped up, and “I think it’s extremely successful,” Cotter said. “The day we took down site fencing, people were already utilizing the site, so it’s pretty cool to see.”

The project builds on “a really wonderful string of philanthropic investments that continue to make the amenities and the parks in this community really tremendous,” said Andy Patterson, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, which helped facilitate the donation.

“Garry has been a driving force to make sure this turned out at the quality it is.”

Jacobson also hinted that he’s not necessarily done with his vision for the space.

“I don’t think we’re quite done yet,” he said. “There’s always fine-tuning.”