July 25, 2022

Colorful silhouettes of birds born from a young girl’s paint brush strokes race vehicles along 10th Street toward downtown Sioux Falls in a new mural being painted just east of the river and viaduct.

The mural gives a tangible sense of new life budding in the Whittier neighborhood east of downtown, and the owners of the building at 121 S. Franklin Ave. believe they’re on the first wave of revitalization in the area.

The gentrification comes as a ripple effect from projects to revitalize Phillips and Main avenues in downtown Sioux Falls.

Law partners Rhonda Lockwood and Tressa Zahrbock Kool bought the building in early 2021, planning to renovate it into new office space. The 1945 building was most recently the Discount Merchandise Center before sitting vacant for years.

“We’re very excited to start helping update the landscape east of the river,” Lockwood said. “We’ve talked about our building being the gateway to downtown, and we’re hoping to bring the success of Phillips and Main avenue revival east of the river.”

Work continues on the renovation, and the mural by Phoenix artist Brian Boner is expected to be completed by the end of July.

Lockwood & Zahrbock Kool Law Office plans to move into the building in September. It will take up almost 5,300 square feet of the building, leaving room for two other businesses to rent out about 2,100- and 1,900-square-foot spaces. A quonset hut near the river with 2,100 square feet of heated storage space also will be available for rent.

There have been no lease agreements announced yet, but Lockwood said the hope is to solidify some soon. Bender Commercial is handling leasing.

The renovated space will have a Scandinavian minimalist design, Lockwood said. Their office is moving from the Gourley Building at 400 N. Main Ave. and adding enough office space for nearly a dozen staff.

“We’ll have the ability to expand in this space, but at the end of the day we want to continue to manage and work our cases the way we always have,” Lockwood said. “We’re not as focused on how to grow but on how to provide the best service to our clients.”

Lockwood expects to see the Whittier commercial area revitalized within a few years as investors start purchasing buildings and renovating them too, she added.

“What other investors are doing, I hope that in two or three years we’ll see significant change in the area for the good of all Sioux Falls,” Lockwood said.