By Denise DePaolo
Without knowing that Dan and Liz Nissen own a record store, one lap through their Sioux Falls home would be enough to know that they are music fanatics. From the guest room dominated by neatly shelved records to the poster-sized photos of Tom Waits and Bob Dylan, one could easily imagine the couple spending summer evenings on their cozy front porch with music lilting through the open windows.
The home, which sits at the south end of Downtown Sioux Falls in the All Saints neighborhood, is the city’s oldest single-family residence. It was built in 1881 by the Pankow Family. And although 134 years have passed, their mark remains.
“It’s on the historic register as the Parmley-Pankow House. They had a foundry in Sioux Falls, which is why we have those cool steps,” said Liz, referring to the iron stairs leading to the house, in which the Pankow name is cast. “That’s what they did. And there’s also a couple of other pieces of that around the property in different areas.”
As we cross the front porch, she tells us that the home is what is referred to as “shotgun style,” which references how you could stand at the front door and look all the way through to the back. Some additions in the early 1900’s changed this configuration slightly, but the home’s architectural character is undeniable.
The Nissens bought the house in 2010, and despite its age, are only the fourth owners. Dan, who plays drums and guitar, says he knew almost instantly that it was the house for them.
“I’d never been in a house like this and I absolutely loved it,” he said. “But then the first thing I did was go check out the basement for a practice space. There wasn’t much of a basement at all, but there’s a back carriage house that I turned into a practice space and studio, so that worked out perfectly.”
The home’s front room is an accurate indicator of the couple’s overall aesthetic. It is full of family photographs, vintage pieces and family heirlooms, including a piece of Dan’s childhood piano hanging on the wall, plus an antique secretary and a functioning piano handed down from Liz’s mother. The piano seat still has its original cross-stitched cushion which, despite decades of wear, remains in remarkably good shape.
Read the full article in the June issue of 605 Magazine, or here.
