Grout Museum

Grout Museum District
Henry W. Grout Historical Museum
	Sign with Logo
	Location Waterloo, Iowa
Established	October 1934
Location	503 South Street; Waterloo, Iowa
Coordinates	42°29′32″N 92°20′38″W / 42.4923°N 92.3440°W
Director	Billie Bailey (2011)
Public transit access	1 8 MET Transit
Website	http://www.groutmuseumdistrict.org

The Grout Museum District – named after Henry W. Grout – is a set of museums in Waterloo, Iowa. The District consists of the Grout Museum of History & Science, Bluedorn Science Imaginarium, Rensselaer Russell House Museum, Snowden House and the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum.

General history[edit]

The museum started with the private collection and endowment of Henry W. Grout, a Waterloo financier and legislator. The original Henry W. Grout Historical Museum was dedicated in October 1934.^[1]

The district is a nonprofit educational entity and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.^[2]

Grout Museum of History & Science[edit]

By the time of his death, Grout had collected over 2,000 objects. He had established an endowment and named trustees to care for his collection, which was displayed for many years at the local YMCA (now the River Plaza building on 4th Street). The current building (503 South Street) was completed in 1956 and opened to the public as a not-for-profit museum.^[3]

Rensselaer Russell House Museum[edit]

The Rensselaer Russell House Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the oldest homes in Black Hawk County. Guided tours are available.^[4]