West Chester, also known as the D.S. Chamberlain House and Wesley Acres, is a historic building located in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, United States. Designed by

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

architect William George Rantoul, it is considered an excellent example of

Jacobethan Revival The Jacobethan or Jacobean Revival architectural style is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the English Renaissance (15 ...

architecture in the city. with It was featured in a couple of publications after its completion. The inspiration for the house's design were the

half timbered Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

homes in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It features five

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s and

dormers A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...

on the main facade that rise above the ridged roofline and three tall chimneys with separate shafts for each

flue A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the chimney itself. In the United States, they are al ...

. There are two gabled wings on the south elevation of the house. The second floor has six bed & breakfast rooms.

Original owner

David S. Chamberlain moved his patent medicine business to Des Moines in 1881, and it grew to become one of the five largest pharmaceutical and toiletry manufacturing firms in the United States. Chamberlain lived in a farmhouse on the property when this house was built from 1901 to 1903. Chamberlain built the

D.S. Chamberlain Building The D.S. Chamberlain Building, also known as the L. W. Taylor Motor Company and Payne Motor Company Building, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The two-story brick structure was designed by the prominent Des Moine ...

in downtown Des Moines, Iowa as a speculative venture in 1917. Chamberlain also built the Chamberlain Hotel located at 7th and Locust Streets in downtown Des Moines. The hotel was built on the former site of Plymouth Congregation Church. The hotel occupied the south side of the site of the current

Ruan Center The Ruan Center is a high-rise office building located at 666 Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa, which was built by Ruan Transportation. The building was completed in 1975 and stands at a height of 459.68 ft (140m), and was the tallest buildin ...

. According to a divorce settlement reported in the Iowa Bystander, "The Chamberlain hotel, recently erected at a cost of $300,000 becomes the property of Mrs. Chamberlain upon the payment of her of about $2500."

Later occupants

In 1947, five retired

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

Clergy couples moved into the home and the South Iowa Methodist Conference established ''Wesley Acres, Inc.'' as a faith inspired, not-for-profit, mission to serve older adults. The front yard, drive and the house are what remain of the estate. The rest is taken up by newer construction including the Wesley Life campus. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1984.

References

Houses completed in 1903 Jacobean architecture in Iowa Houses in Des Moines, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Des Moines, Iowa Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{DesMoinesIA-stub