The Coliseum 

Land that was originally acquired in 1905 to be a farmers' market north of the Courthouse (now the Old Courhouse Museum) would eventually get to be developed into a convention center that would be named the Coliseum. The building itself was built in 1917 and was designed by Joseph Schwarz an architect of many other buildings in Downtown Sioux Falls such as the nearby Carnagie Library.  

Throughout the years, the Coliseum has been the stage for numerous unforgettable performances featuring iconic names like Katharine Hepburn, The Globe Trotters, Bob Hope, Henry Fonda, and Ella Fitzgerald. The building would also be the spot for political speeches specifically one by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. The Coliseum would also be a backdrop for controversy in 1924 as it was rented to the local Ku Klux Klan for a Klavern meeting. Mayor McKinnon would revoke the permit before the meeting could be held after public pushback.  

In the 1930’s an annex was added to expand the building that would include an armory and livestock building. All of which would be destroyed by fire in 1973. As the year 2000 came to a close there were discussions about the future of the building, to raze and rebuild or to renovate and reimagine uses for it. In Spring of 2001 the building was saved and would eventually become home to the Multicultural Center.