Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Salisbury House (Des Moines, Iowa)

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Area
  
9.4 acres (3.8 ha)

NRHP Reference #
  
77000551

Built
  
1923

Phone
  
+1 515-274-1777

Salisbury House (Des Moines, Iowa)

Location
  
4025 Tonawanda Dr. Des Moines, Iowa

Architect
  
Boyd, Byron Bennett; Rasmussen, William Whitney

Architectural style
  
Tudor Revival, Jacobethan Revival

Address
  
4025 Tonawanda Dr, Des Moines, IA 50312, USA

Hours
  
Open today · 10AM–5PMWednesday10AM–5PMThursday10AM–5PMFriday10AM–5PMSaturday10AM–5PMSunday12–5PMMondayClosedTuesday10AM–5PMSuggest an edit

Similar
  
Des Moines Art Center, Terrace Hill, Greater Des Moines B, Science Center of Iowa & Bl, Blank Park Zoo

Salisbury House in Des Moines, Iowa is a Tudor, Gothic and Carolean style manor home. It was built by cosmetic magnate Carl Weeks and his wife, Edith Van Slyke Weeks, between 1923 and 1928. Salisbury House was modeled after the King's House in Salisbury, England, contains 42 rooms and measures just over 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2). The property is owned and operated by the Salisbury House Foundation and is open to the public for tours, public events, and private rentals.

Contents

Salisbury House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The listing covered a 9.4-acre (3.8 ha) area with two contributing buildings, one other contributing structure and one contributing site. Salisbury House is also on the List of Registered Historic Places in Iowa.

Timeline

  • 1923 to 1928: Constructed and furnished at a cost of $3 million.
  • 1926: Carl and Edith Weeks and their four sons move into Salisbury House.
  • 1934: Carl and Edith Weeks donate Salisbury House to Drake University; they retain ownership of the House's collections and furnishings, and pay rent to Drake as tenants until 1954.
  • 1954: Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) purchased Salisbury House and its collections from Drake University and the Weeks Family for $180,000.
  • 1993: Salisbury House Foundation was formed to preserve, interpret and share the property for the cultural and educational benefit of the public.
  • 1998: Salisbury House Foundation purchased the property and collections from ISEA for $4.0 million.
  • 1999: Operation of Salisbury House as a historic house museum began.
  • Collections

    The Weeks Family amassed extensive collections of fine art, decorative art, rare books, musical instruments, historic documents, weapons and sculpture, and most of their holdings remain in Salisbury House to this day. The Salisbury House Foundation offers various tour packages that allow visitors to experience many highlights from the Weeks Family's collections.

    References

    Salisbury House (Des Moines, Iowa) Wikipedia