History

If You Can Dream It, You Can Build It

Carl Weeks was a remarkable man of great accomplishments, both as a visionary 1920s entrepreneur and as a lifelong supporter of the arts he loved. His majestic home, Salisbury House & Gardens, is a testament to those accomplishments.

As a pioneer in the women’s cosmetic industry, he built a fortune on the success of his company, Armand Cosmetics. Then he built Salisbury House. This American Country House Estate, nestled on 9.5 acres virgin Iowa woodlands, remains an icon of entrepreneurialism, innovation and the American Spirit.

Carl Weeks once wrote, “If you dream it, you can build it” and he and his wife Edith set out to do just that. It was on a 1921 visit to Salisbury, England that they saw “Kings House,” a 15th century manor house frequented by British royalty. They knew immediately they had found the model for their Des Moines home.  Groundbreaking took place in 1923 and five years would pass before construction was complete.

This American castle was the home for the Weeks family—Carl, Edith and their four sons—until 1954. In 1954, Salisbury House was purchased by the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), and served as their headquarters until 1998, when it was purchased by the Salisbury House Foundation. Restoration of the house was begun in earnest in 2005, following completion of a Master Plan, now well on its way to completion.

Over the course of some 80 years, thousands have passed through the House’s great arched doors and come away awed by what they experienced. Today, Salisbury House & Gardens and its treasures are offered to all as a museum, a cultural and educational resource and a center for professional and social events.

Carl Weeks and Salisbury House Timeline

1876 Carl Weeks born in rural Linn County Iowa, to Charles and Laura Chamberlain Weeks

1889 At age 13, Carl Weeks ended his formal education and moved to Des Moines to work in a drug store. The next year, he enrolled at Highland Park College to study pharmacy, graduating in 1892.

1902 Carl Weeks and his brother Leo joined the D.Weeks drug company, founded by his mother’s family, the Chamberlains, and Carl’s brother Deyet. The company manufactured over-the-counter medications and face powder.

Employees of Armand Cosmetics Company Common Room, Salisbury House, ca. 1926 Weeks Automobiles, Salisbury House, 1931   Carl & Edith, Great Hall, Salisbury House, ca. 1950

1907 Carl Weeks married Edith Van Slyke, whom he had courted for four years. They would have four sons: Charles, William, Evert and Lafayette.

1908 When Deyet Weeks died, Carl and Leo took over the company and founded the D.C. Leo Company, through which Carl made many innovations, among them a new product by the addition of cold cream to face powder.

1915 The Armand Company was formed by Carl Weeks. The product line was developed to include additional products and became extremely successful, marketed across the United States, as well as Canada, Mexico, Australia, France and England.

1923 With the fortune made by his success, Carl weeks ordered construction of Salisbury House, to be closely modeled after King’s House in Salisbury, England. The House was completed in 1928.

• Architects Boyd & Moore of Des Moines and William Whitney Rasmussen of New York collaborated in the design of a Tudor-style manor, with Gothic porches and a Carolean brick addition.
• Cost to build the House was $1.5 million, plus another $1.5 million for furnishings.
• Located on a woodsy 9.5-acres on what was then the far west side of Des Moines, the estate would include the House, a caretakers cottage, gardens and grounds, as well as nine acres of virgin woodlands.
• The roof was made of modern hand-made tiles, but the west section and cottage were covered with 17th century tile from Lord Nelson’s Trafalgar estate in England.
• At 22,500 square feet on four floors, the 42-room mansion originally included 17 bedrooms and16 bathrooms.
• The House’s interiors included imported 16th-century English oak paneling and floors, as well as five fireplaces.
• Furnishings included many pieces of antique furniture, tapestries, fine art, rare books and an eclectic array of items that made up a global collection of some 10,000 pieces.

1934 Weeks family donated Salisbury House to Drake University, but occupied the house until 1953.

1950 Following World War II, competition from Revlon and other cosmetics companies resulted in a decline in growth for Armand. Carl Weeks merged the company with Weeks & Leo Company and retired at age 77.

1954 When the demands of maintenance become difficult for the Weeks, the House is sold to the Iowa State Education Association, and is occupied by ISEA as their headquarters for 45 years.

1962 Carl Weeks died at age 85, following Edith Weeks death in 1955.

1998 In 1998, the estate was purchased by the newly formed Salisbury House Foundation which took possession in 1999.  The ISEA moved to their new location in downtown Des Moines in that same year.

2005 Restoration in earnest of Salisbury House began, implementing a Master Plan developed by the Salisbury House Foundation and local architects.

Chauffeur Dan Brophy with other employees, Salisbury House, 1931

Salisbury Employees, 1931

North Façade, Salisbury House ca. 1926

South Façade, Salisbury House, ca. 1926

Great Hall, Salisbury House, ca. 1926