Peirce Mansion Explained

John Peirce Mansion
Coordinates:42.5208°N -96.4022°W
Built:1893
Builder:Hansen Bros.
Added:December 12, 1978
Refnum:78001273

The Peirce Mansion is a 23-room mansion located in Sioux City, Iowa. From 1960 until 2011, the mansion was home to the Sioux City Public Museum with exhibits relating to the history of the region. It is still owned by the Sioux City Public Museum and has now been restored to a Victorian-era appearance.[1] It is open to the public for quarterly open house events and is available for rental.

The mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[2]

History

The mansion was built for financier John Peirce, who built the Romanesque home out of Sioux Quartzite with 23 rooms[3] in 1893.[2]

First purchased by a group called the Junior League in 1959, the opening of the mansion as a museum was in September 1960.[4] There was a robbery of a saddlebag from the museum in 1996 that was part of a string of museum thefts which involved stealing Native American artifacts.[5]

A new museum location was opened in 2011 in Sioux City's downtown at a former J. C. Penney store.[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sioux City's Peirce Mansion Shows Off Its Newest Renovations . Staci DaSilva . KCAU.
  2. Web site: Open house highlights Peirce Mansion restoration . September 2, 2011 . Sioux City Journal.
  3. Book: Erickson, Lori . Off the Beaten Path Iowa: A Guide to Unique Places . Stuhr, Tracy . 2010 . . 978-0-7627-5042-9 . 162 .
  4. Web site: Sioux Citian To Talk Here . April 1, 1964 . The Telegraph-Herald.
  5. Web site: Iowan accused of stealing Indian artifacts . Associated Press . August 17, 1996 . The Gazette.
  6. Web site: Grand Opening set for Sioux City Public Museum . Caniglia, Ross . March 9, 2011 . KTIV.