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| Museum Hours Tue-Sat 9am to 5pm Museum Phone 319-234-6357 Location Get directions |
| Rensselaer Russell House > About The House > History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italianate Architecture at its BestThe Rensselaer Russell House — often cited as Iowa's finest example of Italianate architecture — gracefully overlooks the Grout Museum District. This lovely brick structure, inhabited by three generations of the Russell family, is one of the oldest homes in Black Hawk County. Rensselaer Russell, the son of an immigrant carpenter, traveled to Waterloo from New York with his wife and daughter in 1857. He worked in banking and real estate. At age 33, he purchased the block, which later became known as Russell Square, for $750. Rensselaer and Caroline Russell built the house in 1861 for $5,878.83. As the Grout Museum District's largest artifact, it has been restored to the 1890s — the period when electricity was added to the home. In an era of gracious living, the Rensselaer Russell house was the showplace of the community. An 1889 Steinway grand piano, one of the first grand pianos in the area, was the center of many gatherings, and is the jewel of the Russell family collection. |
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