Urban renewal was a movement that provided for the development of aging and underutilized city neighborhoods. During the 1960s, light industry and warehouses had begun to move out of downtown Sioux Falls. The area near Seventh Street and the Big Sioux River was once home to Place Brothers Coal & Wood Yard, B. C. McCrossan Fruit Company, the Sioux Falls Water Company pumping station, and various agricultural implement warehouses. By the 1970s, urban renewal had greatly changed the face of the west bank of the Big Sioux River from Sixth to Eighth Streets.
Some of these buildings were vacant or had frequently revolving tenants during this time. Seventh Street, from Dakota Avenue to the Big Sioux River, became the focus of many development plans. Three of the major goals of urban renewal were the building of a new public library, the construction of a hotel, and affordable elderly housing.
The library and hotel were built along Eighth Street, with parking ramps and lots where Seventh Street once stood. Where Seventh Street met the river, buildings were razed to make way for the River Tower, an elderly housing facility with more than 150 units. Many additional historic buildings bordered by Seventh Street, Eighth Street, Phillips Avenue, and the Big Sioux River were razed to make way for more modem buildings.
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