Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
WEEKS, Edith
WEEKS, Edith. (Dubuque, IA, Aug. 2, 1882--Des Moines, Iowa, June 21, 1955). Director, Garden Club of America and builder. One of Des Moines' most prominent women, Mrs. Weeks was the wife of Carl Weeks, the president of the Armand Company of Des Moines. Traveling through Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Weeks dreamed of constructing a Tudor mansion in the heart of Iowa. Salisbury House, built to resemble King's House in Salisbury, England, was constructed between 1923 and 1928 at a cost of $1.5 million. The four-story manor had 42 rooms in its 28,000 square feet, set on two acres of gardens and nine acres of woodlands. The west section of the roof and the cottage were covered with 17th century tile from Lord Nelson’s Trafalgar estate in England and interiors included imported 16th-century English oak paneling and floors, as well as five fireplaces. (1)
While Salisbury House was being built, Carl and his wife traveled the world, collecting nearly 10,000 pieces of art, antiques, books, and curiosities, including paintings by Joseph Stella, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Anthony Vandyck, and many others. The mansion's library, paneled in 16th-century oak, grew to hold 2,100 rare volumes of first editions by such authors as D. H. Lawrence, Walt Whitman, and Ernest Hemingway, along with more than 700 letters and documents from royal and historic figures. (2) Collecting architectural treasures including rafters, windows, and roof tiles, from buildings being demolished. On advice of a tax consultant, they asked consumers of their cosmetics to send them a stone for their house. This resulted in much of the resulting construction costs being tax deductible as a public relations activity. The house was completed in 1928.
Salisbury House remained the Weeks' home for many years. It was sold in 1954 for a small price to the Iowa State Education Association for their headquarters. In 1998 it became the property of the Salisbury House Foundation. (3)
Mrs. Weeks was also active in refurbishing Lucas House, the residence of Iowa's first governor, in Iowa City.
Photo courtesy: Salisbury House Foundation
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Source:
1. Halsted, Jody, Salisbury House, Des Moines, Iowa, USA, Online: http://familyrambling.com/salisbury-house-des-moines-iowa-usa/travel/usa/
2. David Hudson, Marvin Bergman, and Loren Horton. The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa, "Carl Weeks," Online: http://uipress.lib.uiowa.edu/bdi/DetailsPage.aspx?id=401
3. Anderson, Helen J. "A Touch of Old England in Iowa," Online: http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-0712dmoines-england-story.html