Note: The Argus Leader wrote an editorial responding to this issue on July 18th. We like their take. Read it here.

One person's retro downtown diner is another's ugly "metal thing."

The look of the new Phillips Avenue Diner is evoking a love-it-or-hate-it reaction downtown.

The debate is taking place against a backdrop of historic ambiance in downtown Sioux Falls.

That's precisely the problem, some say, because the diner just doesn't fit in with that.

Others say the diner not only fits but is an improvement to the corner of 10th and Phillips. And they wonder why anyone would complain about any new business opening downtown.

Still, many people were taken by surprise after the luminous structure of Dixie Bros. Grill was moved from its location on South Louise Avenue to its new downtown address at 121 S. Phillips Ave.

The historic style of downtown is one element that attracts Amy Watson, and in the summer, she is reminded of Paris by the way many of the restaurants have seating set up outside.

Watson said she was shocked when she went downtown and saw the structure.

"I do think it's ugly down there," she said. "Even a temporary little lunch shack would have been preferable to this metal thing."

Another Sioux Falls resident, Carol Schlotfeldt, was a bit surprised when she saw the diner had been moved downtown.

"My initial reaction was it's neat, but is that the right place," she said.

But not all residents think that Phillips Avenue is the wrong place for the restaurant. Gerry Bethke of Sioux Falls said the restaurant is similar to diners in a lot of other cities.

"People call it a monstrosity, but I think the structure itself fits in with downtown," Bethke said.

Dave Syverson, sales manager at Syverson Tile Inc. in Sioux Falls, agreed and said City Hall is another example of Art Deco architecture downtown. The style of the diner and the other Art Deco buildings also are a part of Sioux Falls history, he said.

"It's retro," Syverson said of the diner. "It has a really nice retro style to it."

Though some of the buildings downtown are designated as historic, the downtown area is not a historic district, according to the city's zoning chief Karen Venables.

The city has established a set of planning standards that are reviewed and approved by the City's Planning Director, Mike Cooper.

Color and materials are listed as items the city takes into consideration. In the section on color, it's stated that colors should not be used if it draws attention or is difficult for people to ignore. The standards also say the use of panelized materials should be avoided if they differ with surrounding buildings.

"Those are guidelines developed as a general standard to look at for development downtown," he said.

Cooper said he was a bit surprised by the reaction of some within the community about the location of the diner.

"It's difficult to get a unanimous opinion about things," he said.

The diner, scheduled to open late this summer, will fit in well with the city's vision of downtown once the landscape and structural work is completed, Cooper said.

The downtown group Main Street Sioux Falls also approved the location for the diner.

The Phillips Avenue Diner is owned by W.R. Restaurants, which also owns Minervas one block south of the diner.

Paul Van Bockern, president of W.R. Restaurants, said he recognizes the concerns of some Sioux Falls residents but said that once the structural work is completed and the landscaping is finished, the diner will complement downtown.

"It's really hard to visualize what it's going to look like with trees planted and the patio in back," Van Bockern said.

Jane Newman, co-owner of De Hoek, kitty-corner from the Phillips Avenue Diner, said she's trying to make the corner family oriented with her Dutch-themed restaurant and gift shop and said the presence of the diner will add to that atmosphere.

As for the diner's exterior, "I want (to see) a lot of landscaping around it," she said.

Though Watson said she feels like she doesn't want to go downtown since the diner's arrival, it hasn't completely deterred her from the area.

"I will go back downtown to go eat in the other places and just try and not look at it," she said.

originally published online here: http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050711/NEWS/507110312/1001