Tuthill House restoration effort nears fundraising goal

An effort to restore the more-than-140-year-old house at Tuthill Park is nearing its fundraising goal.

The house was saved from demolition late last year after a group got together to raise money for exterior improvements, including a new roof and new siding.

Now, they’re about two-thirds of the way to their $300,000 goal to fund improvements to the inside of the house as well as the outside. 

And the people behind the Tuthill Park Restoration Fund are confident the goal is within reach.

“We’re feeling very confident, and that’s thanks to this generous community we’re living in,” said Kathy English, one of the members of the fund’s organizing committee.

The house tells the story of the park, English said, and she didn’t want Sioux Falls to lose those generations of history and the reminder that Tuthill Park was once a working farm.

The house, once refurbished, also will help generate revenue for the city; it can be rented out for events and weddings.

Interior improvements include restoring the wood floors, creating functional cabinetry in the kitchen that’s true to the period in which the house was originally built and, in the best-case scenario, redoing the second floor.

“If we get to that (second-floor restoration), that would be a place people could rent for bridal parties,” English said.

Fundraising will continue until July, and the hope is that construction to restore the house will begin in September.

If you want to support the project, you can learn more here.