An old house in Sioux Falls is scheduled to be torn down and turned into a used car lot and it has historians upset.

The house we're talking about is the old William Doolittle house that sits in the historic district of the city at the corner of 10th Street and Prairie Avenue. But if a developer gets his way, this piece of history will be wiped off the city map.

Many of you probably have driven by the house a time or two, never giving it a second thought. But despite its poor condition, it's rich in history.

It was built in 1888 by William T. Doolittle. 

"William T. Doolittle was quite an important man for Sioux Falls, including mayor for Sioux Falls," curator of education for the Siouxland Heritage Museum Kevin Gansz said.

Gansz says Doolittle was close friends with R.F. Pettigrew, one of Sioux Falls' founding fathers. He was also an engineer on the first train in the city.

Because of its history, the house is part of the Siouxland Heritage Museum's summer walking tours and Gansz would hate to see it torn down.

"I think the Cathedral historic district actually has lost quite a bit through time and I don't feel it can lose anything else," Gansz said.

Another thing that makes this house unique according to historians is it's old gothic style.

Gansz says you don't find many homes in Sioux Falls with this type of architectural design. And despite its rundown condition, he thinks it still has a lot to offer.

"I think someone with a little bit of vision and money can come in there and make that a showpiece for the district," Gansz said.

But for now, its future is on shaky ground.

The house is owned by Haile Dawit. He didn't return phone calls.

The city says by law, because the house is in a historic district, there's a 90-day waiting period before anything can happen. After that, the city will have the final say whether the house gets demolished.