Washington Pavilion Marking 25 Years with Science and Song

The birth of the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science in 1999 nearly didn’t happen.

The conversion of the old quartzite high school in downtown Sioux Falls into the city’s marquee performance hall and arts center was approved by less than 750 votes in 1993. In fact, without the Pavilion’s pairing with a new convention center, the vote to issue the bonds to pay for it probably wouldn’t have passed.

It’s been a long road to the 25th anniversary of the Pavilion’s opening, punctuated by funding struggles, organizational challenges, a national economic crisis and an international pandemic…

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This article originally appeared on SiouxFallsLive.Com. It was written by Patrick Lalley on January 30, 2024.

The Washington Pavilion was a 2001 AIA South Dakota Design Merit Award winning project. Koch Hazard Architects was the Architect-of-Record for the original historic renovation of Washington High School. For an in-depth look at the project check out its award submittal.