SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A home that was once an eyesore in a historic neighborhood, is now ready for renters.
KELOLAND News took you inside the Gothic Revival-style house back in June of 2023, not long after John Koch bought it.
“As you can see we’ve stripped it down. Right now we’re making sure the structure is really well intact,” Koch told KELOLAND News in June of 2023.
When Koch purchased the home nestled in the Cathedral Historic District, it needed a lot of work.
“Pretty rough would be an understatement,” Koch said.
But that’s not the case anymore.
After about a year of work, the project is finished.
“Just gave it, obviously, a huge update and tried to make it look like it belongs here in the historic area,” Koch said.
Railroad engineer and Sioux Falls Mayor William Doolittle bought the house in the late 1800s and lived there until the early 1900s.
At some point, the Doolittle House was turned into apartments before it sat empty for many years, according to Siouxland Heritage Museums.
“We were working with a four-plex when we bought it, so we did not change the use or anything. We just simply stripped it down, tried to keep as many original features as we could like these beautiful wood floors, there’s high ceilings on each floor, mansard roof lines which are really pretty upstairs, so it has a ton of character,” Koch said.
The restoration team also kept a fireplace.
“That’s no longer operable, but we wanted to keep it as one of the main features here,” Project Superintendent Tim Dickes said.
Dickes been restoring old homes with Koch for many years.
While the team kept much of the charm of the old home, other areas have a fresh new look like the kitchens.
“We have the quartz countertop, the porcelain backsplash,” Dickes said.
Dickes also explains how much work it took to overhaul a bathroom.
“This area had to be completely rebuilt because the toilet that had been in here previously had been leaking for a long period of time. The whole floor was not stable,” Dickes said.
As the two men reflect on the big project, they know it’s the end of a chapter for one of them.
Dickes says this is his last restoration.
“I have promised my wife that this is it, and John asked me when he bought this place if I would stick with him until this is done. I just didn’t know the extent to which is was going to require me to stick with him, but yes, this is it for me and from here on out I’ll be focusing on what the lord has in store for my life,” Dickes said.
As for Koch he says it’s time to take a little break from restoring historic homes, but this probably isn’t the end for him.
“When you take on these projects, it’s so much work, and this is what keeps me coming back every time because it’s so fulfilling once you are actually done, and the neighbors come over and we have a historic home tour and everyone says, ‘Thank you, thank you,’ and you realize the impact it’s had on the neighborhood,” Koch said.
The fourplex features two apartments on top and two on the bottom.
At least one of the apartments has been rented.
To see the others that are available, click here.
