Hoyt Sherman Place, the home of

Hoyt Sherman Major Hoyt Sherman (November 21, 1827 – January 25, 1904), a member of the prominent Sherman family, was an American banker. Biography Hoyt Sherman was born in 1827 in Lancaster, Ohio, the son of Charles R. Sherman, Judge of the Ohio S ...

, was built in 1877 and is located in Des Moines,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

History

In 1850, Hoyt purchased five acres of land in Des Moines for $105. In 1877, Hoyt Sherman Place, the family home, was completed with the help of

William Foster (Iowa architect) William Foster (1842 – 1909) was an architect in Iowa. Together with Henry F. Liebbe (1851-1927), he worked as Foster & Liebbe, which designed numerous courthouses and other public buildings. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. ...

. Almost immediately, it is noted in writings to be, "a society showplace of the grandest scale." Among its distinguished guests in history are General Sherman, General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, General

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

, and Major

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

. In 1893, Hoyt Sherman rented his home out to The Sisters of Mercy from Davenport, Iowa. Within the walls of the home, the Sisters created the first Mercy Hospital. It held 52 beds and operated for nearly two years. Sherman and his wife, Sara, raised five children, Frank, Addie, Charles, Arthur, and Helen, in the home. Major Hoyt Sherman died in January 1904. In 1995, the ''Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation'' was founded by the

Des Moines Women's Club The Des Moines Women's Club, founded in 1885 as the Woman's club movement in the United States, women's club movement swept through the United States, today serves the Des Moines community by providing scholarships, support for the local arts comm ...

. Ownership of the house and all art and artifacts contained in it were given to the Foundation by the Des Moines Women's Club. The club also provided an endowment, which was increased by the sale of the painting ''To the Memory of Cole'' by Frederic Edwin Church. In 2017 the Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation completed restoration of all major paintings in the collection. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. In 2015 Hoyt Sherman Place was inducted into The Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. The Des Moines Sherman Hill neighborhood takes its name from Hoyt Sherman Place.

Art Gallery

In 1885 the Des Moines Women’s Club decided that creating an art collection in the city of Des Moines was a top priority. The first piece they purchased was a bronze statue of Joan of Arc at the Chicago World's Fair,

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

in 1893. This piece is still on display at Hoyt Sherman Place. The collection continued to grow with purchases from the Women's Club as well as a large donation of art and artifacts from Major S.H.M. Byers, author of

The Song of Iowa "The Song of Iowa" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Iowa, written by S. H. M. Byers in 1867 and adopted as the official state song by the Iowa State Legislature on March 20, 1911. The song is set to the tune "O Tannenbaum" and Byers' l ...

and ''Sherman's March to the Sea'' and his wife, Margaret, in 1912 as well as other generous donors from the Des Moines area. The majority of these works are still on display in the Hoyt Sherman Place Gallery. Some of the paintings are attributed to well-known artists such as

Otto van Veen Otto van Veen, also known by his Latinized name Otto Venius or Octavius Vaenius (1556 – 6 May 1629), was a painter, draughtsman, and humanist active primarily in Antwerp and Brussels in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for ...

, Robert Reid (American Painter), Edwin Lord Weeks and

Andrea del Verrocchio Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the ...

Theater

The original theater was built in 1923. In 2004 a major theater restoration project took place. The historic theater has seating available for 1,252 guests. Some of the major acts that have performed at the Hoyt Sherman Place Theater include:

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerabl ...

, Dave Chappelle,

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and reloc ...

and

David Sedaris David Raymond Sedaris (; born December 26, 1956) is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay " Santaland Diaries.” He published his first c ...

Renovation and Addition

The full restoration of the upper level of the mansion was completed in 2021. The COVID-19 shutdown allowed for the time needed to restore the second floor to the original floorplan including Hoyt and Sara Sherman's bedroom as well as their daughter, Helen Sherman's bedroom. Their daughter, Helen Sherman Griffith was born and raised in the Sherman home and as an adult became a well known author of children's books. The rooms have been restored top to bottom including period-appropriate lighting fixtures, paint, flooring and décor. The Center for Artists and Education was completed in 2020. It includes classroom and rehearsal spaces as well as modern dressing rooms, loading dock, administrative offices and additional event spaces.

Des Moines Women's Club

In 1907 Hoyt Sherman Place became the clubhouse of the Des Moines Women’s Club . The Club added an art gallery, the first public art museum in the city. In 1923, a 1400-seat auditorium was completed for Club programs.100th Birthday of Hoyt Sherman Place 1877–1977: the home of Des Moines Women's Club, by Katherine Love. Des Moines, IA: Des Moines Women's Club. pp. 20. In 1995 the Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation was created to provide long-term care and protection of the home and collection as well as run the day-to-day operations. The Women's Club continues to meet at the historic home and contribute to its ongoing success.

References

External links

* – Official website
www.desmoineswomensclub.com
– Des Moines Women's Club
Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Hoyt Place Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Houses completed in 1877 Houses in Des Moines, Iowa Tourist attractions in Des Moines, Iowa Theatres in Iowa Music venues in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Des Moines, Iowa Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa 1877 establishments in Iowa