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By Jodi Schwan

Lewis Drug is headed back downtown – and this time Sanford Health and PAve are part of the building plan.

Sioux Falls-based Lewis will anchor a 12,000-square-foot building at 10th Street and Phillips Avenue. That’s the same site as the former Copper Lounge building, which collapsed last December, killing construction worker Ethan McMahon.

“Everyone involved in the project has been focused on honoring the history of the site while keeping pace with the progress of downtown Sioux Falls,” said Nikki Griffin, Lewis Drug corporate vice president. “We’re proud to work with great partners on this project and aspire to create a space that celebrates the strength of our community and the continued growth of downtown.”

The McMahon family said in a statement that they “appreciate being included in the planning of this project and believe it will be a great addition to downtown Sioux Falls.”

The store brings Lewis back to its roots. Its first pharmacy opened on Phillips Avenue 75 years ago.

“It’s exciting for us to be coming back downtown to where the company started,” CEO Mark Griffin said. “I’m proud of being able to do that for the city of Sioux Falls and the people that were loyal to us for 75 years.”

The downtown store will have a mix of merchandise tailored to downtown residents and workers, including enhanced convenience foods, beer, wine and spirits. Hours are still being finalized but will at least mirror the clinic, Griffin said.

The interior that was designed originally reflected the historic nature of the Copper Lounge building, and it will still have that sort of look and feel, he said.

“It will be unlike anything you’ve seen in the past with Lewis,” he said. “It will have a fresh look.”

Building new instead of renovating a historic building created additional space. Sanford Health will use 800 square feet as an acute care clinic with day, evening and weekend hours and same-day appointments.

When we look at how downtown Sioux Falls is evolving and growing as a population center, and consider our strong relationship with Lewis Drug, this was an easy decision to build a stronger presence in the core of the city and meets the medical needs of the people who now live and work in that area,” said Paul Hanson, executive vice president of Sanford Health.

“We recognize that downtown continues to grow, and it’s vital that our patients have easy access to care without having to travel out of their neighborhood.”

Sanford and Lewis have partnered in six other locations to combine medical services with a pharmacy. They also are building next door to each other at 32nd Street and Ellis Road.

“We’ve got a great relationship and do a lot of innovative things together,” Griffin said. “This is just another element in our relationship that involves extreme convenience. This will be the most convenient access for acute care with medicine connected that you can come up with. It’s a new model.”

The other new addition to the downtown project is PAve, which will expand south of its second story with an enclosed 2,800-square-foot space and a 3,200-square-foot rooftop patio.

“The new addition and outdoor rooftop space provides our customers one more reason to enjoy the great food and environment PAve offers. We look forward to celebrating our growth and success with these new elements to the PAve experience,” general manager John Geiken said.

Construction on the site has started. The project is scheduled to be done next spring.

Legacy Developments CEO Norm Drake said the new additions to the project make it even more valuable for downtown.

“With the increased amount of people living downtown, these will definitely be services that will be utilized and help attract even more people,” he said. “I think we’ve got a great project here.”