How could the Tuthill House be restored? Here’s a look

We’re getting a first look at how the 143-year-old house at Tuthill Park could be brought into its next stage of life.

The city had planned to declare the house as surplus, leading to it being removed or torn down, after deciding the needed repairs were too costly.

But an effort from preservationists and neighbors to restore the home has raised enough money for some of the needed improvements. The hope is to raise more.

“We’d like to approach the house as it was originally intended,” said Sarah DeWitt of DeWitt Designs, who is helping with the restoration effort.

On the outside, that includes building a porch where one had once been and opening up the house with double-hung windows “so it’s more reminiscent of a McKennan Park home,” DeWitt said.

“It gives you a front entryway. From the inside, that is the best view, and right now that’s been closed off.”

When events are held in the house, you’ll then be able to “see a beautiful view of the park,” she added.

The windows are in good condition, DeWitt said.

“It’s amazing they’re in such good condition,” she said. “So we hope to keep all the original ones we can.”

The plan is to restore the siding and the roof, with steel shingles on the roof that are designed to resemble cedar shake.

On the main floor, lifting 1990s vinyl flooring revealed “the oak floor is actually intact,” DeWitt said.

The plaster ceiling also appears to be intact and will be restored, she said. A fully accessible bathroom also will be brought up to code, and the kitchen will include more counter space for caterers.

There also will be a connection to a new outdoor serving area along with a fireplace.

The home typically has been used for weddings and related events such as wedding prep and showers along with family reunions and other gatherings.

The upstairs “you have to crawl through a hole to go see,” DeWitt said. “All the bedrooms are intact. The plaster requires some hard elbow grease … but it is quite lovely.”

Some of the bedrooms could be used for dressing rooms for wedding events, and another small bedroom could be set up as a “homestead room” and used for story hours or kids’ crafting events.

“One of our goals is to provide extended and expansive use of the property,” DeWitt said.

Outside, the plan is to remove the deck and replace it with a ground-level patio, allowing improved access to the home and a more enclosed private space for outdoor events.

“We’re proposing some landscape plantings to help buffer the views both for the neighbors to the house and for the people using the house,” said Lance Meyerink, who is helping with the outdoor improvement plan.

The concept also calls for an accessible walkway and a teaching garden.

“It’s just an opportunity space for the park as they see fit,” Meyerink aid. “The goal of this is to take advantage of what’s already a really beautiful home and beautiful park and make sure everything we do just accentuates that.”

The group has raised enough money – more than $100,000 – to cover residing the house, replacing the windows and redoing the roof. The whole project could cost up to $300,000, and they’re continuing to apply for grants and raise money.

The hope is to have the money raised by the end of July and start construction in September. If that works out, the house could be ready to host events a year from now.

The house originally was built in the 1800s by William Howie, one of the founding fathers of Sioux Falls. Later, it was sold to Arthur and Dot Tuthill of the Tuthill Lumber Co. and located on their farm, Otonka Acres. It became the family’s summer home before being gifted along with 40 acres of farmland to the city in 1953.

To get connected to the Tuthill House restoration effort, click here.