History of the Washington Pavilion
Source: KELO-LAND TV
Author: Kelli Volk
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- The Washington Pavilion is celebrating 25 years, but that's only one chapter of the downtown landmark's long history.
When Jeff Herbert walks through the halls of the Washington Pavilion, he feels at home.
Herbert went to school in the building in the 70s when it was Washington High School.
At times, there could be a lot of ground to cover for a high schooler trying to get to class.
"You would enter through obviously the first floor and sometimes your first class...I know my sophomore speech was on the fourth floor, so you had to climb the stairs to get there. It was an effort," Herbert said. "It was up and down, up and down, but we took great pride in this building and it was a fun place to go to school."
Old Washington closed in 1992, and high schoolers transferred to the current Washington in northeastern Sioux Falls.
In 1993, voters narrowly approved renovating the high school into a performing arts center with science and art museums.
About half of the more than $30 million dollar project was funded through an entertainment tax.
George Lundberg played a role in the transition from school to pavilion and chaired the Washington Pavilion Board of Trustees for several years.
"It was hard. We had a lot of naysayers in town that were quite vocal in their criticism of what we were trying to do, but we prevailed," Lundberg said.
The vote was tied to the construction of the Sioux Falls convention center.
"If we hadn't combined it with the convention center at the time, I don't think it would've passed," Lundberg said.
"I think there's a little bit of an urban legend," Washington Pavilion President and CEO Darrin Smith said. "A lot of people think the convention center being on that ballot kind of pulled the Washington Pavilion across the finish line. Others believe the opposite. We'll never know, doesn't matter."
It took a massive, multi-year renovation to turn Washington High into the Washington Pavilion.
The space opened in downtown Sioux Falls in 1999.
While there were tough times early on, Smith says the Washington Pavilion is financially strong today.
The Pavilion's programs have grown over the years.
"Our science center, we have renovated literally every square foot of all three levels of our science center just in the last 7 or 8 years," Smith said.
Other highlights include the opening of the Sweetman Planetarium last year.
Meanwhile, Broadway series subscriptions have grown from fewer than 1,000 ten years ago to nearly 4,000 now.
"That number has just exploded, and that's a trend very much in contrast with what's going on across the United States. Some theaters are doing away with their Broadway series. They're moving away from subscriptions because their numbers are going down," Smith said.
On June 1st, the Washington Pavilion will hit the quarter century mark. A full day of activities, including free museum access, is planned to celebrate the milestone.
"We know that the last 25 years wouldn't have happened without Sioux Falls and the surrounding area, so we're excited to celebrate with everyone," said Maddy Grogan, director of education & museums.
While the Washington Pavilion is known today for entertainment, art, and science, you can still find a preserved classroom in the building.
From the desks to the chalkboard, visitors can travel back to the old days of Washington High.
"This room still gives us a sense of what the building was like," Herbert said.
Not only is Herbert a proud alumnus of Washington High, but also a patron of the Pavilion.
"I'm proud that this is what it is today. It's just a beautiful building," Herbert said.
Headliners for the celebration are Bill Nye the Science Guy on May 2nd and Sutton Foster on June 1st.