Brucemore has temporarily closed the mansion to tours through mid-November to allow recovery work to occur in several interior spaces following damage to plaster ceilings and walls in five rooms from the August 2020 derecho. During this time, the landscape remains open daily for self-exploration while the Visitor Center offers souvenirs and free exhibits Thursday through Sunday afternoons. Tours of the mansion will resume in November for the holiday season, which will feature seasonal décor in many of the rooms. View our calendar for landscape and Visitor Center hours.
The derecho caused more than $3 million damage to the estate’s seven historic buildings, two operational buildings, hundreds of yards of fencing, multiple gates, and several historic features. Recovery efforts have been underway since the hours after the storm on August 10, 2020. The 1915 glasshouse structure of the Lord & Burnham Greenhouse is expected to undergo restoration later this fall after collapsing under the weight of a century-old tree. Several pieces of statuary and gates will be removed from the site for conservation this December. Plans are underway to restore the northeast facing breakfast porch of the mansion and to fix the slate roof of the mansion next year. Research and planning is in progress to understand, design, and develop a restoration plan to guide a multi-year replanting effort of the original O.C. Simonds landscape. The 26-acre landscape lost more than 70% of the estate’s tree canopy or over 500 trees.
Donations to support recovery projects can be made to the Preservation Fund online, by calling (319) 362-7375, or by sending a check to 2160 Linden Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403.
