General Museum Info

Rebuilding Downtown Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls Museum of Visual Materials in the old Standard Oil Building

Dr. Rose Faithe purchased the old Standard Oil Building in 2005. It was in rough shape, but Rose, seeing the potential of this old 1887 warehouse, knew it would be the best place for her Uncle Matthew’s vision: the “Museum of Visual Materials.”

The museum is one of many plans to update and restore “uptown” Sioux Falls, SD!

The Materials and Displays
Where did all of our materials and displays come from? Dr. Faithe’s house! Faithe didn’t want to sell any of her family’s collections at a rummage sale or auction-she wanted to give them back to the community and let them enjoy the things that might remember from when they were growing up.

A lot of our displays remind people of collections they used to have, or treasures their grandmother kept. We have antique dolls, Avon bottles, porcelain frogs, treasure trolls, and so much more. The displays are switched out every 6 months to keep things fresh.We are known for having over 80,000 sewing buttons in storage. The crazy part? They are all sorted by color, and size. (Ask for a VIP TOUR next time you visit!)

The Renovation   
As you can see, the original building was an eye soar for the city of Sioux Falls. This was the first view that visitors and guests entering Falls Park would see when going to visit our cities treasure. The renovation started in 2005 and was completed in the spring of 2007 (Dr. Faithe’s Birthday). The Museum officially opened its doors on June 1st, 2007.

Downtown Life  
Downtown Sioux Falls is the perfect mix of carefree spirit, cultural celebration and refined style. From museums to a unique selection of eating establishments and specialty shops to a full calendar of events and activities–there’s always something happening in downtown, AND uptown, Sioux Falls!