History of Lake Lorraine
Building on a dream…
When he was growing up, Warren Friessen always wanted to have his own lake, a place to fish whenever he pleased. He thought it would be nice to go fishing and to enjoy the view.
His life’s work as founder of Friessen Construction Company, a leading site-developer, allowed him to make his boyhood dream a reality. And together with his two daughters, Warren has given this gift to Sioux Falls and honored his late wife, Hilda Lorraine Friessen.
This aerial view of the Lake Lorraine development (shown south to north) was taken by Friessen family member Luke Hubers.
130 Acres Over 15 Years
The 130-acre development known today as Lake Lorraine was originally five different parcels of land that Warren acquired over 15 years.
The first piece of land purchased in the 1970s was 55 acres in the center of the development. These 55 acres were used as a source of gravel for much of the development in the 1980s along 41st Street from Louise to Minnesota avenues. The next purchase was 40 acres along Marion Road. Warren then bought the homestead after many years of negotiating, followed by 3 acres to the west. Finally, in 1989 Warren purchased the 36 acres adjacent to I-29, finishing off the Lake Lorraine space.
This 1994 aerial image shows the lake pre-development. It is looking from the northeast to the southwest. The peninsula was eventually removed.
A Westside Treasure
Friessen Construction was always in need for base materials for new westside construction projects. The Lake Lorraine location served this purpose through its convenient location as Friessen Construction is also located on Marion Road, just north of the development.
The excavated sand from Lake Lorraine was used for many commercial projects in western Sioux Falls, including: Target, Empire East, Billion Automotive on 41st Street, Shopko, Red Lobster and the original Sioux Falls Ford site (which is now located north of the Lake Lorraine development). Billion Automotive (then located just west of Skunk Creek on 41st Street) received 22 feet of sand to make the site building-ready.
The remaining gravel from this site was used to re-construct Marion Road from a rural two-lane section of road to a three-lane highway in 1987. In 2006, Friessen Development improved Jeanne Drive in conjunction with the development of the Lowe’s site. Today, the street is named Lake Shore Boulevard and marks the north boundary of Lake Lorraine.
Today this road is Lorraine Place heading into Lake Shore Boulevard. The first of the large retail shops opened on the east of this road in 2017. To the north is Lowe’s and the barn from the old homestead located on the property.
The Lake Becomes Reality
While the lake property location was ideal for the construction company, Warren always envisioned a finished lake community — going back to his early dream of someday having a lake. Therefore, he worked the land with building the lake in mind. It took 15 to 20 years to excavate and shape the lake, hauling 750,000 yards of sand out of the “Terry Pit” (as it was referred to by Friessen Construction employees) — that’s the equivalent of 75,000 truckloads of sand!
Lake Lorraine is a clear water lake on the Skunk Creek aquifer — it’s spring fed. The lake level fluctuates five feet from the high water to the low water mark, depending on local rainfall and weather, averaging 17 feet deep in the middle with a pure sand bottom. The sand strip extends 50 feet in depth and terminates at the bedrock level of quartz rock. The material was analyzed and revealed small particles of gold and silver exists throughout the sand.
Ninety percent of the lake was dug out by one man, Duane “Squeek” Fanebust. He ran an old Lima Dragline day after day, month after month for almost 20 years. The dragline squeaked when he used it, which is how he got the nickname. One of the actual buckets used has been converted to a bench and is located near the northwest entrance to the Lake Walk by The SandBar and Grill and Pillar Dental; you can see where Duane welded his nickname onto the bucket: “Squeek 4-15-84).
The Dragline is shown digging out gravel, which was used for many building projects in western Sioux Falls.
This is the Lima Dragline that was used to dig out what became Lake Lorraine. The buckets that scooped the sand from the pit have been converted to benches that are now part of the Lake Walk surrounding the lake. The operator, Duane “Squeek” Fanebust signed his name in one of the buckets.
Duane “Squeek” Fanebast welded his nickname onto one of the Dragline buckets used to scoop gravel out of what eventually became Lake Lorraine. This bucket along with another dragline bucket has been converted into seating.
Friessen Construction employees converted the Dragline buckets into seating,
Naming a legacy
“Friessen Lake” was the unofficial name of the lake for many years, but it didn’t sound inviting since it sounded like “freezin’ lake”. In 2001, the family christened it Lake Lorraine after many years of debating the decision. The name Lorraine has special meaning for the Friessens — it’s the middle name for Warren’s late wife, Hilda, as well as a granddaughter (Angela Lorraine) and great-granddaughter (Cora Lorraine).
Moving Toward Something Bigger
The concept of a lake in the city of Sioux Falls was always an idea, but how to efficiently utilize the land surrounding the lake experienced several concepts. The first design was a gated community with lake-front homes. The second idea was a high-rise condo/multiple house development in the early 2000s. During this time, Friessen Development, Inc. was formed and started marketing the idea of Lake Lorraine and designing buildings. When the 2008 recession hit, the company postponed the project yet again on the development of the 130-acre parcel.
Lake Lorraine visionary Warren Friessen is pictured on the north side of Lake Lorraine in summer 2018. He’s standing in front of an old barn that was part of a homestead on the property. Pictured to the east (the background of the photo) are some of the major retailers located on the east side of the development. Those stores are visible from Interstate 29, showing the easy access to the development.
Some of the barnwood has been repurposed in the lobby of the Hyatt Place, which is located on the north shore of Lake Lorraine near where the barn once stood. Read more about the history of the barn.
Friessen Development Partners with Van Buskirk Companies
In 2013, Friessen Development partnered with another family-owned local business, Van Buskirk Companies, to promote a multi-use location with commercial, office and multi-family homes in a pedestrian-friendly development. With additional expertise and manpower, the project is off and running, drawing in locally-owned retailers, unique restaurants, upscale office spaces, national retailers and more.
The first building opened on the west side of the development along Marion Road in 2014. Westside Chiropractic Center and The SandBar and Grill were the first tenants. Carsforsale.com also bought into the vision, moving their headquarters to an 8-acre lakeside location. Additional buildings were constructed on Marion Road on the west side of the lake, with several national retailers opening on the east side of the lake in 2016-17. For many of these national retailers, Lake Lorraine is their first South Dakota location Additional retailers, restaurants and employers continue to make this lifestyle center their home.
The Friessen and VanBuskirk families are working together to develop the Lake Lorraine property. Pictured from left to right: Chad VanBuskirk, Cynthia (Friessen) Monnin, Mike VanBuskirk, Steve VanBuskirk and Patty (Friessen) Vognild.
Members of the Friessen family gathered at Lake Lorraine in 2015. They are at the west side of the development with the lake in the background.
A Dream Come True
Warren made his dream of owning a lake come true. And he’s sharing it with Sioux Falls.
“I always thought a lake would be a nice addition to Sioux Falls,” Warren said. “It took half a lifetime to finally see it being developed — a gold mine without mining the gold. The family believes it was worth the wait and this concept and design are the best for the community. The goal of the project is to make Lake Lorraine something special, not only for the Friessen family, but for the entire region.”
“The goal of the project is to make Lake Lorraine something special, not only for the Friessen family, but for the entire region.”
