Celebrate Preservation Month at Brucemore with free guided tours of the 21 room mansion on Saturday, May 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 4 from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Follow a guide on a tour of the 21-room mansion and investigate the art, furnishings, technology, architecture, surrounding landscape, and stories preserved at Brucemore. Tours will begin approximately every 15 minutes with the last tour beginning at 3:00 p.m. Free tour weekend is sponsored by Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust.
Three families owned the Brucemore estate between 1884 and 1981?the Sinclairs, the Douglases, and the Halls. They were business and community leaders during a century of evolution in the Midwest. Caroline Sinclair, widow of pioneer industrialist, T.M. Sinclair and mother of six, hired architects Josselyn and Taylor to build the mansion for $55,000 in 1884. In 1906, George Bruce Douglas, of the Quaker Oats and Douglas and Company fortunes, acquired the home with his wife Irene, transforming the property into a country estate they named Brucemore. In 1937, their daughter, Margaret, inherited Brucemore with her husband, Howard Hall, founder of Iowa Manufacturing and Iowa Steel and Ironworks. The Halls added flair to the estate with famous guests, including Presidents Herbert Hoover and Harry Truman and their exotic pet lion. The Queen Anne architecture, 1925 Grant Wood Porch, 1929 Skinner pipe organ, and 1930s Grizzly Bar and Tahitian Room reflect the vibrant history of remarkable people. The changes they made to their estate, the impact they had on their community, and the stories they left behind shape our understanding of modern Cedar Rapids, eastern Iowa, and the American Midwest.
The National Trust created Preservation Month in 1971 to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts around the country, and has since grown into an annual celebration for local communities to honor their past and help build their future. The 2014 Preservation Month theme, "New Age of Preservation: Embark, Inspire, Engage," is meant to excite communities and introduce new audiences to the work being done to enrich and preserve the places that make your community special.
Brucemore will offer other Preservation Month activities in May, including:
- Iowa Manufacturing: A Family Portrait exhibit - Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
- Nooks and Crannies Tour - May 1 and 15, 6:00 p.m.
- Hired Help Tour - May 8, 6:00 p.m.
- Brucemore Summer Plant Sale - May 10, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Historic Neighborhood Walk - May 22, 6:00 p.m.
- Brucemore in Bloom Tour - May 29, 6:00 p.m.
For more information about Preservation Month activities during May and throughout the year, visit Brucemore's website at www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375. Visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation website at www.preservationnation.org for more information about Preservation Month.
About Brucemore
Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families. Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.
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