Finding the Wallace House, Des Moines Landmark

The one-time home of Henry A. Wallace, one of Iowa's influential, controversial sons is found at the top of Sherman Hill. Restored to match photos from over one hundred years ago, this museum now houses exhibits on the life of Wallace and the four Secretaries of Agriculture with Iowa roots. I'm sure that when current Secretary Mike Johanns, born in Atlantic, Iowa, completes his tenure, his contributions will be added as well.

From the Wallace House Foundation website:

The mission of the Wallace House Foundation is to build community through conversation about contemporary issues.

The Wallace House Foundation commemorates the remarkable influences of the Wallace family on Iowa, the nation, and the world. The Foundation is a neutral, non-partisan facilitator of dialogue that builds community and solves problems. The Foundation sponsors and staffs citizen dialogue projects, supports civic investment in Iowa communities, and provides consulting services to citizens, organizations, and government to facilitate communication, build consensus, and develop collaborative partnerships for effective action. The Foundation also preserves the Wallace House as a historical center and meeting facility.

About the museum:

“Uncle Henry” and Nancy C. Wallace moved to Des Moines from Winterset in 1892 when Henry became editor of the Iowa Homestead. They selected a home at the corner of 16th & Center Streets, one of the oldest properties in the Sherman Hill neighborhood. The Italianate Victorian-style house was built in 1882. The Classical style wrap-around porch features Ionic Roman columns. The stacked bay windows and a second story balcony are typical of the style.


Around 1895, the Wallaces altered the third floor for more space, adding two bedrooms, a hybrid mansard/hip roof and dormer windows. After Nancy’s death in 1909 and Henry’s death in 1916, daughter Josephine continued to live in the house until 1923. The house remained in the Wallace family until 1940. By the 1950s, the house was portioned into 11 apartments. The house was last inhabited in the 1960s.


The Wallace House Foundation purchased the home in 1988. The interior was gutted, and period photos taken around 1910 by Josephine Wallace guided the restoration work. The family donated many pieces of period furniture. Henry and Nancy's great-granddaughter Ann Wallace Fleming maintains the beautiful heirloom garden.