Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 10/07/2026 04:21:00

Hoyt Sherman Place is a historic cultural complex at 1501 Woodland Avenue in the Sherman Hill neighbourhood of Des Moines, Iowa. The property centres on an 1877 mansion built by pioneering banker and insurance executive Hoyt Sherman, younger brother of Union Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. The Des Moines Women's Club acquired the property and began fundraising for a theatre in 1917; construction started in 1922 and the 1,252-seat auditorium opened in 1923. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the theatre was restored in 2003-2004 and further expanded in 2019-2021 with a 9,000-square-foot Center for Artists and Education. The main floor seats 776 and the balcony seats 476, with the intimate proportions and Victorian-era design delivering natural acoustics praised by performers and audiences alike. Early luminaries to appear at Hoyt Sherman Place included Helen Keller, Will Rogers, John Philip Sousa, Amelia Earhart, and Iowa native Grant Wood. Today the venue hosts touring concerts, comedians, lectures, dance recitals, corporate events, and community gatherings. Information and tickets are available at hoytsherman.org. The complex also includes the original 1877 Hoyt Sherman mansion, which is open for guided tours and houses a permanent art gallery maintained by the Des Moines Women's Club. The Byers Room displays a collection of artwork donated in 1912 by Major S.H.M. and Margaret Byers, who served under and befriended General Sherman. A 2019-2021 expansion added the 9,000-square-foot Center for Artists and Education, additional restrooms accessible via their own east-side lobby, and improved backstage facilities. Owned and operated by the Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation, the venue continues a more-than-century-long tradition as one of Des Moines's most treasured cultural institutions. Its position in the historic Sherman Hill neighbourhood places it within walking distance of downtown restaurants, galleries, and the Iowa State Capitol grounds.