This Sioux Falls house helped those in need for 100 years: Looking back
All Saints School opened Sept, 17, 1885. In the beginning, it was a boarding school for girls; the pet project of Bishop William Hobart Hare of the Protestant Episcopal Church, who had been an early missionary in the area. When it came to raising money for his projects out on the less-explored frontier, Hare was a force to be reconned with. He was able to procure donations from well-to-do locals as well as affluent contacts back east.
By the early 1900s, it became clear to Hare that All Saints School would benefit from having another building on its campus, to be used for supplemental residence space and a hospital. The idea was to contain children ill with contagious diseases in a separate building in order to reduce the risk to the rest of the student body. Hare found a sympathetic ear in Henry Dexter, the founder of the American News company, a distributer and wholesaler of newspapers, books, comics and magazines.
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At the graduation ceremony held at All Saints on June, 8, 1904, Hare announced the donation of $10,000 in his wife’s name. The new building would be called the Lucretia Marquand Dexter Memorial House, and construction was to begin that summer. The Dexter Memorial House and a new gymnasium, built in 1903, were connected to the main building via an underground tunnel. The new building was ready for use before the end of 1904.
Dexter House served many purposes over its life at All Saints School. Bishop Hare’s residence was there. It also served as an infirmary and a residence hall when needed. In early 1928, the Episcopal Diocesan offices were moved from their former spot in the Boyce-Greeley building to Dexter House.
Over time, the mission of All Saints School changed; it became a private grammar school in the 1950s, abandoning its all-girl roots. Local boys and girls learned together and returned home after classes.
In the early 1980s, enrollment waned as maintenance needs increased. It became clear that the school was not bringing in enough tuition to remain open. The school, open for more than 100 years, graduated its last students in the spring of 1986. Operations ceased by the end of the summer, and the contents of the school were auctioned off.
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In 1991, plans were in the works to turn All Saints School into All Saints on the Hill Retirement Community. The transition would involve expansion of the main buildings, which meant that the old gymnasium and Dexter House would have to be removed. Both buildings were offered for sale at $1 each on the condition that they be moved. In early 1992, Arlene and Leonard Thoms bought the Dexter House. Arlene, a woman with a personality nearly as big as her heart, planned to turn the old infirmary into transitional housing for veterans and the unemployed. It took two days to move the building from its original home at 18th and Phillips to Carolyn Avenue, west of Menards. It was put on a foundation and renovation began. When completed in June, 1993, it was called Timothy’s House of Hope.
Timothy’s House of Hope was named for Timothy Thoms, Arlene and Thomas’ son, who struggled with alcohol and died in 1988 at the age of 28. The location was a good one for people just trying to get on their feet. The 41st street business corridor gave House of Hope residents better access to jobs within walking distance. Hundreds of people benefitted from House of Hope and Arlene’s unending kindness.
In the early 2000s, Arlene, then in her early 80s, began having health problems. Timothy’s House of Hope closed in 2008. It was razed and replaced with a hotel. The old Dexter House had helped those in need for over 100 years. Not a bad legacy for Lucretia Marquand Dexter, or Timothy Thoms.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: This Sioux Falls house helped those in need for 100 years: Looking back
