City: Des Moines, IA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (515) 274-1777

Address: 4025 Tonawanda Dr.

Description: A brick, Tudor style country estate tucked away in Des Moines’s tony South of Grand neighborhood, the Salisbury House has room after room filled with thousands of items collected by the Weeks family, who occupied the house for many years. Artworks, over 1,000 rare books, including numerous first editions, and precious objects of every sort are just some of the treasures found here. Many of the objects were acquired during the Weeks’s extensive world travels. There are also personal mementos from notable Americans like Twain, Sargent, and Hemingway. Modeled after the King’s House, a 15th-century manor in Salisbury, England, the house was built in the 1920s by Des Moines cosmetics magnate Carl Weeks. When built, it measured 22,500 square feet on 9.5 acres and included 17 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms on 4 stories, as well as a caretaker’s cottage, gardens, and grounds. The house later served as headquarters for the Iowa State Education Association. Guided and self-guided tours are available, with guided tours slightly more expensive. Closed Jan and Feb.