Sisters with vision turn downtown building into condos

By Jill Callison, for Pigeon605

How many lives can one building have? Well, if its new owners are a pair of sisters with imagination and ambition, then it stands the chance of hitting the century mark with barely a buckle in its plaster.

The 1940s-era building on 14th Street and Phillips Avenue’s southwest corner begin its existence on the air base that came to Sioux Falls during World War II. It originated as a chapel. When the war’s end closed the base, it moved to the newly established Catholic parish at 16th Street and Bahnson Avenue, known today as St. Lambert.

In 1982, the building was on the move again, this time to a vacant lot downtown where it was converted into an office building.

Today, it remains an office building on the first floor.

The second floor, however, has been converted into two condos. One belongs to Amy DeBerg, who only has to go downstairs to begin her day in her executive-search firm, R&P Group. The other resident is her sister, Betty DeBerg, who left Cedar Falls, Iowa, after her retirement “to grow old” with family.”

Both Betty and Amy lived in separate houses before deciding to purchase the 14th Street building and turn the upstairs into condos. They purchased the building in January 2019 and moved into the condos last fall.

“I’ve always been interested in living downtown,” Betty DeBerg said. “This was a building that would accommodate my living downtown and Amy’s business as well. I went into it with Amy as a partner to live downtown.”

Before renovating the second floor, the sisters toured multiple downtown Sioux Falls buildings that are divided into retail on the first floor and living quarters upstairs. The 14th and Phillips building met their needs perfectly, Amy DeBerg said.

“The cool architecture made it a really fun living space,” she said. The building had retained what Betty DeBerg describes as “beautiful industrial chapel beams” and had “amazing lighting.”

The sisters worked with Sunkota Construction to redo the upstairs. Houndstooth House, an interior design studio, made suggestions that allowed the DeBergs to keep the chapel’s original look while making it more contemporary.

Betty DeBerg’s condo is the larger of the two living spaces at about 1,200 square feet. “I got more space,” she teased her sister, “but Amy got all the skylights.”

The condos reflect the sisters’ individuality.

“The contractor, Dustin Schouten of Sunkota, worked with Carissa (Zieske) at Scott’s Lumber and designed me just an amazing kitchen,” Betty DeBerg said. “I love to cook, and I have this luxurious huge quartz countertop, good cabinets and decent storage. The rest is pretty much an open space.”

Betty DeBerg’s former home was a 1950s ranch house, and she had filled it with midcentury furniture. She kept her favorites and turned the remainder into an eclectic mixture. As a fervent supporter of local artists, she makes sure the pieces she has collected receive prominent display throughout the rooms, including one tall wall. Her bedroom is large enough to provide space for another interest: sewing.

Amy DeBerg’s condo is more open with the skylights mentioned earlier and rooftop-aligned windows.

“Again, it’s open so that if somebody is working in the kitchen, they can talk to and be a part of the conversations both at the dining room table and living space,” she said. A washer and dryer were installed in her bedroom, and she asked for a large pantry to accommodate her interest in cooking.

A lover of cats, Amy DeBerg had a special cat closet built so the litter box can be kept private. Her office, one of eight downstairs, has a fireplace and south and east windows and can double as a place to entertain guests.

If you know the DeBerg sisters and you walk into the condos, you know who lives where, they say.

“My loft is warm neutrals in terms of the walls and very colorful in terms of art and Rug & Relic vintage carpet and furniture,” Betty DeBerg said. She describes her sister’s style as casual contemporary.

Having a beloved sister as a neighbor and living in downtown Sioux Falls is part of Betty DeBerg’s strategy for aging well, she said. When she was laid up for six weeks, Amy was next door to take her dog for walks. With the weather growing warmer, they can walk to the Falls Park Farmers Market and to Levitt at the Falls and to Kirby Dog Park.

A two-stall garage was added to their building, and a door to the west allows people to enter from the parking lot. A security company, security system and multiple interior and exterior cameras help ensure the property is safe around the clock.

A privacy fence added to the backyard makes it comfortable for entertaining, and this year the sisters, who both like to garden, will add garden boxes and bird feeders and bring in a grill for cooking.

“I’m looking forward to throwing the door along Phillips Avenue open and having friends and neighbors over for drop-in happy hours in the back,” Amy DeBerg said.