This story is reprinted with permission from the Minnehaha County Economic Development Association.
There’s a lot of history in Garretson, and Norm deWit is doing his part to preserve part of it for future residents.
DeWit, who is a longtime resident just outside the Minnehaha County community along Split Rock Creek, helps Garretson with economic development.
His most recent endeavor is an early 1900s quartzite building in downtown Garretson, which most recently housed the senior citizens center and Jesse James Art Players.
The building had some roof issues, old windows and uneven floors. The two stories will contain seven loft-style apartments, and a building next to it will hold four additional apartments above a heated indoor parking area.
“If you lose these old buildings, the town has no historical character anymore,” deWit said. “So we took on the challenge, and it’s going pretty well so far.”
DeWit, a mechanical engineer by trade, has worked on several projects like this in downtown Sioux Falls. For this one, he teamed with a carpenter, Ryan Rozeboom, who he knew was looking for a project.
A couple of ways they’re keeping the character of the original building are to leave some exposed quartzite walls in the kitchen and living room areas, along with leaving ceiling trusses exposed. A couple of apartments have 18-foot ceilings and will have mezzanines with wood staircases, deWit said. Four apartments sit on the upper floor; the main floor has three apartments along with storage spaces.
