Salisbury House Foundation

Pretty cool place to spend an hour or two. Did the tour on my own which I liked so I could go back and look at my own pace. They give you a guidebook (which was a little out of date, hopefully they replace). The cottage was out of commission due to construction or something which was disappointing. Otherwise very interesting if you like old architecture.

Right after our tour of Terrace Hill Historical building, we were feeling an urge to experience more Des Moines history, so we drove a few minutes over to Salisbury House to participate in their tour! One big difference right away we noticed between this and Terrace Hill is there is much more staff here and the grounds/​building is much bigger!
There are plenty of visitor parking on the grounds so parking is not an issue. Follow the signs to get to the staff member who will be able to set you up with a tour of your choice, self or guided. You can check on their website for the price differences and tour times (they are set). For the guided tour you have access to a couple of exclusive rooms and get the history of the house explained to you. We went with the guided tour and did not regret it.
The tour takes just over an hour and it was a very educating and fun experience! We actually began our tour the same time as another group began their self-​guided tour. About 20 minutes into our tour, the self-​guided group left the building. Without a guide, you just take a look at the historical building and the rooms without knowing their stories so the tour is quick.
The staff members are very friendly and funny! Knowing what history of this building allows me to feel educated about the city I live in and sometimes I just can’t believe this is actually in Des Moines! If you have not toured here, come and take a guided tour!

After a whole year of discussing a visit to this historical Des Moines attraction, we finally made it! (pats self on back) I am so glad that we finally squeezed the Salisbury House in to my weekend visit itinerary. We set aside an hour to explore all 22,000 square feet of the 1923 home located just outside of downtown Des Moines. From the lavish tapestries to the Egyptian artwork, the Weeks family didn’t cut any corners in building their plush residence. The home was modeled after a mansion they saw while visiting Salisbury, England (hence the name). If you’re like me, you’re wondering, how did these folks pull off building a 3million dollar home in the 20s? We can thank Mr. Weeks for inventing what is today known as lady’s foundation/​makeup concealer. Huh, right? The home has dozens of rooms modeled after French and English architecture and interior design surrounded by beautifully manicured landscaping beds. I was very impressed by the guide booklet that is included with your $ 8 adult admission to the house. It offered a room-​by-​room description making it easy to tour the home on your own. Note that guided tours are also available by appointment.

This was an amazing mansion and absolutely beautiful. The art alone is worth it. However next time I am going on the guided tour!!! Staff here is super friendly and checks in on you with the self guided tour. It was a slow day so we ended up with a partially guided tour.
This place is huge. Plan at LEAST a few hours to get through it and admire the details. Especially if you are an art or architecture junkie like me!!!

If you like old mansions, architecture, antiques, history, etc., you will find this place delightful. I love all of the aforementioned and we decided to visit on the spur of the moment while we in town for a quick visit.
The family that built the home made their fortune in cosmetics. Inspired by a manor house in England, they returned to Iowa to build a similar home. Many of the materials and furnishings were part of a home in Salisbury the owners had deconstructed and then reconstructed on their Iowa home site. Some of the furnishings and artwork date back to the late 1500s.
We paid a lower price for a self-​guided tour (it’s about half the price of a guided tour). A booklet is provided that explains major details, and I like being able to go at my own pace. Unfortunately, 2 rooms (the India Room and the Library) are off limits unless you pay for the guided tour. Although I did find myself wishing I’d paid for the guided tour (because I wanted to see the library!), I wasn’t disappointed and there was still a lot to see and experience.
The gardens are also included in both the guided and self guided tours, but we didn’t tour the gardens. Still, we ended up spending the better part of two hours touring the house. Learning about the family that lived in the home was quite interesting too.
I highly recommend taking the time to have a look around this beautiful, unique home. It’s probably about as close as you can get to experiencing a «castle» outside of Europe.

WOWIE ZOWIE what a night! I got to record a live album on the Salisbury House’s 1600’s piano that Steinway built out of old out houses and shipped over seas for the house!
One of the most valuble pianos in the country this was quite the experience.
Salisbury House & Gardens in Des Moines, Iowa, is home to library, fine art, rare book, historic document, decorative art and musical instrument collections of international significance, as recognized by appraisers, peers in the museum field, rare book librarians and collectors, and prominent media outlets. Signed books and documents by Abraham Lincoln, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Charles Dickens, Queen Elizabeth I, Joseph Smith, D.H. Lawrence and many others tangibly bring history to life.
This beautiful building is full of crazy history you would not expect in Des Moines! You should definately take a tour or go to an event here! You will not be sorry!

I have but little time. Soon I am away to my parents’ house for a day and night of Christmas festivity. I wanted to write at least one review before I left, and this just happens to be the first suggestion that popped up. So here I am.
Salisbury House was a bit strange, in that it seems to be modeled after a Tudor Castle, but the items housed inside have no rhyme or reason as to their placement. Some rooms were empty all together. It seemed the only real through line in this place was the very vague scent of soup wafting through the corridors. I’m left wondering if this is a remnant left from the building’s days as a home, or if it’s coming from the offices buried deep in the museum’s belly. I may never know.
But while we’re on the subject, I would like to point out how very overwhelming the idea of this place as an actual house is. We walked through many single rooms that were bigger than my entire living space. Which is all the more imposing when you consider that some of these rooms were probably used for no more than an hour out of the day. That is an embarrassment of riches if I’ve ever heard of one. In any case, I did find myself thinking loftily of the opening sequence of Atonement when the little blonde girl was walking through the labyrinthian maze of her home. This place seemed quite similar.
As for the aesthetics, the surrounding gardens were quite beautiful, and I imagine they would be even more so had we gone during the spring or summer rather than the fall. The outside façade, while being very charming in a very old and very British kind of way, did evoke many an image of college campuses… or, at the very least, school marms.
I think this place was definitely worth a visit, though not quite what we’ve envisioned for our wedding… Nevertheless, it’s quite the interesting destination.

Nice place to tour on a quiet Saturday afternoon. You purchase admissions at the cottage before entering the home. We did the self-​guided tour for $ 8 each person (card accepted). Admission price comes with an informative brochure that guides you along your tour.
The docent guided tours are a few more dollars and with it, you gain access to the library; however, a guide was kind enough to let us peek inside when a group just so happened to be leaving the library. The guide told us the main reason why the library is secured is because it’s climate controlled. If you have the time, I’d say catch a guided tour. All the guides that we met were so kind and seemed very passionate about the history of the home.
I love anything history related so of course I enjoyed visiting the Salisbury house. My boyfriend, on the other hand, regaled me and the baby with comments like, «Oh wow! I didn’t know they had blue painter’s tape in the 1920s too!» and, «Why do they have ropes along all the chairs?! How am I supposed to test them all out properly when there’s a rope in my way!»
However, I was a little disappointed that the master bedrooms were roped off during our visit. I’d suggest calling in advance to make sure that all the rooms are open if it means enough to you. It seems like they close off rooms frequently for maintenance.
Strollers aren’t allowed within the home. We were able to leave ours in the cottage where you pay for admission.

This is not your typical historic home museum — it is so much more wonderful! No antique daily appliances to make us wonder «how did people manage to read anything by candlelight?» or «so glad I have a stove instead of a fire grate!» etc… This home is instead packed with amazing art from many different periods and cultures!
Yes, there are some interestingly antique home furnishings, but it’s the craftsmanship of the building itself and the beautifully curated paintings, books and décor that are the real treasures.
When visiting Des Moines, this is the perfect cultural counterpoint to The Machine Shed, and an absolute must-​see!