salisbury house

The house was constructed with stone sent to the builder from around the world who also collecting rooms from European castles and homes being demolished. Once the home of the Iowa State Historical Society.

Beautiful place to view. Great entertainers perform here. They have plays and individuals perform in their theater.

Tudor, Gothic and Carolean style manor home built by cosmetic magnate Carl Weeks between 1923 and 1928. It was modeled after the 15th century "King's House" in Salisbury England. Many of the paintings, furniture and fixtures are from the Weeks collection assembled over many years. Well worth seeing.

We visited the Salisbury house in December and it was all decorated for the holidays. It was beautiful! it was a fun stop and we did a self guided tour - took about 1 hour. In that hour I accumulated some beautiful pictures!

I visited the house this weekend. I'm not sure what the deal was but for $20, I was granted admission to several other historic houses in town, even though the others are not as much popular as the Salisbury house.The house is living proof of fine taste backed by almost unlimited wealth. Built in 1923 by cosmetic magnate Carl Weeks, this 42-room manor estate with Tudor stone work, Gothic arches, and Carlean brickwork was inspired by the King's house in Salisbury, England. Most of the original furnishings and exquisite artwork are still there for you to appreciate.I'm a photographer and even though a tripod was not allowed in the house, I'd a great time photographing the interior of the house. I've attached some of the pictures with my review but due to the way TA works, they'll be dumped with the other pictures for this attraction. If you'd like to see more pictures of this and the other historic houses in town, send me a private message.If you've some interest in art, history or photography, allow for 2-3 hours to do a tour of the whole house. My advice would be not to just "wow" through the rooms; take a few minutes to put yourself in these rooms at a time when the Weeks family lived in the house. Imagine formal dinners being hosted, drinks flowing, some guests smoking by the fireplace, while others enjoying fine food served on silver and golden dinnerware.Be advised that the ticket only grants one-time access, which's why I took off 1 star from my review. I'd have liked to go out, eat lunch and come back but for some reason that I don't understand, they didn't allow that.

Growing up in Iowa, we trekked across the state on a school excursion eons ago to visit Salisbury House. That memory stuck(along with the tour of the A& E dairy,lol).When I returned to Iowa, I renewed my acquaintance at the recently relinquished ISEA headquarters and enjoyed watching the growth and restoration by the Salisbury House Foundation patrons. Besides great tours there are many varied events that take place inside and on the grounds. Shakespeare on the Lawn, Classic Car events, Holly and Ivy, music and history series,Private events; the foundation is quite creative. I even attended a Murder Mystery evening where I played a Mata Hari type character( receiving a plot book pre-attendance) complete with stage props and proper attire circa 1938. If you will be Des Moines in June or December, check out the calendar at Salisburyhouse.org for Shakespeare in June and Holly and Ivy in December.

The first challenge is actually finding the house. It is buried deep in a residential neighborhood, near the Des Moines Arts Center and I entered off Tonawanda Drive and Grand, it is much easier if you enter off 42nd Street. There is a wide driveway with parking, but it is on a steep slope, they have a small number of handicapped spots up near the house, but there is a large cobblestone courtyard that is difficult to walk on.I took the self-guided tour which I prefer. They give you an excellent pamphlet that explains everything about the house and you can take pictures. There is extensive artwork throughout the house, and the bathrooms are spectacular with colorful tile work. There are gardens around the house, but they were a little shabby when I was there. The stonework of the house is very unique. If you like historic houses, it is worth a stop while in Des Moines.

Nestled in a residential community, Salisbury House is a lovely home with great architecture, large collection of art/books/furniture, and interesting history. There are two tours available--personal walking tour ($8) and guided tour ($12). I would highly suggest the $12 tour so you can rooms that off limits in the walking tour.I went on a Saturday morning for the 11 a.m. tour and was greeted with a VIP experience. I was the only guest in the house and loved my time chatting with Judy, the tour docent. She was full of hospitality and allowed me to focus my experience on things I was interested in seeing/doing, (I had read about the house and family before my arrival and was especially interested in the Stella pieces. I would encourage anyone who loves old homes and history to visit Salisbury House. And if you have a philanthropic nature consider giving a financial gift to help restore the house and collection.

The house was made form 16th century oak, imported from England, so the woodwork is wonderful. The decor takes you over to houses in Europe; friends who have seem photos and have traveled abroad thought the main room was from Italy. They have a wonderful chamber concert series there, as well as a number of social events (Gatsby ball, etc.). You can visit on your own, in a tour group, or for a special event. The garage is not temperature controlled, and they do hold receptions in there. Fall-winter evening events there are chilly, so dress appropriately. The Salisbury House is located about a mile from the Des Moines Arts Center.

Wow, this mansion is fabulous! I have enjoyed the mansions in Newport and the Biltmore....and while those are much bigger and more elaborate, I loved seeing this similar slice of history in Des Moines. It is amazing to see how the architects designed the old (like an English castle) with the "new" (1920s "technology" when it was built). We did the self-guided tour which took a little under 90 minutes. The home is mostly handicap accessible. Highly recommended!!

We toured ourselves through the building as we had missed a guided tour by 20 minutes and didn't have the time to wait for the next. However, one of the guides, between tours, to the time to show us a few secrets and add to our knowledge of the home. It served to point out how much more we would have gotten from the organized tour.The home is a mix of 1920's and 1400's. I was fascinated with the architectural details, the floors, the ceilings and the artwork. I was shocked to come across familar names on limited edition prints. It was also very interesting to learn about the family that lived there. The gardens were a little disappointing, but we did spot a young buck at one end, chowing down on the rosebushes.If you have $8 and an hour, go for it. If you spend the extra $3 for the tour, I am sure you will be impressed. And, it is air conditioned, in case you're visiting in summer.

Never would we have thought this place was in the middle of Des Moines. Sister-in-law arranged a cultural afternoon for the Canadian/California relatives. A great experience. If you live near, take the time. You will see a typical country ENGLISH home, mansion,,,, lets face it....... but very well worth the trip. Excellent guide, very helpful and knowledgeable. After 30 yrs of Iowa trips I was IMPRESSED

I love touring old homes like this. The house is a very pretty property and should be on your list of things to do in Des Moines - if you like this sort of thing. I give it 4 stars only because the person isn't famous.

My wife dragged me through the home reading every detail of the past owners, their family life and the advantages of being wealthy in the 20's and 30's. That was ok, but the style and construction of the English knock off house was not typical of a USA house. Very nice grounds, massive stone home were all impressive.

The exterior, including the garden, is a place to view. When we visited last Sunday, May 25, the flowers weren't all in bloom, but with the big buds, I can imagine how pretty they all will be.The interior is wonderful and well preserved. Pictures can be taken but without flash. You have an option to have self-tour or guided tour (which has specific time, see details in their website for updated info). The history of the family, their business, their boys are laid out well in various room; so if you missed the guided tour, you don't feel you missed a lot.