Value Place Pleasant Hill

Salisbury House

by Jimma

Salisbury House is a little slice of England right in Des Moines. Beautiful architecture with gardens and statues.

Here is the official blurb:

''When visiting the Salisbury House, one is struck by a feeling of displacement, as if walking into the heart of gothic Britain. These impressions are not the result of chance, but of an exacting process of construction involving two architects, hundreds of craftsmen, and a five year time span. A re-creation of a 500 year old house in Salisbury, England, the Salisbury House was built in Des Moines by a nouveau riche cosmetics mogul - an expression of his symbolic and financial power in his homeland. It was built to appear 100 years old on the day of its completion.''

Now that's one way of being a virtual tourist!

Salisbury House Foundation
4025 Tonawanda Drive
Des Moines, Iowa 50312-2909
Phone: (515) 274-1777
Fax: (515) 274-0184

Des Moines Arts Center - Sculpture Garden

by yooperprof

The Des Moines Arts Center continues to collect - and commission - new work. The Sculpture Garden in particular has continued to expand. It's a lovely place with flowers, tree, hills, and water. If I lived in Des Moines, I would certainly come here often.

This is a piece by Bruce Nauman called "Animal Pyramid."

Des Moines War Memorial

by SheDragon

As I was driving around on Labor Day, I found the World War II memorial behind the capitol building. The memorial itself is quite amazing, with a timeline of events in the concrete on the ground, the eternal flame, and this memorial about Pearl Harbor.

Here's a pic of the eternal flame in the World War II Memorial.

Another part of the memorial...

Peace Officer's Memorial, which stands behind the capitol building, 1985.

The three outer forms represent the three levels of law enforcement in Iowa.
The equal spacing represents the equal sharing of responsibility for the safety of all.
The circles represent the cooperation and fraternity between the agencies and departments.
The three gray paths to the center represent the agencies and departments uniting to serve, sacrifice, and mourn.
The center pinnacle represents the service, dedication and sacrifice shared by each peace officer.
The top of each outer form represents the aim of each peace officer with the goal being just short of the ultimate act of giving one's life, which is represented by the top of the center pinnacle.