Recent Gifts to Terrace Hill

September 10, 2009

Material gifts to Terrace Hill have ranged from practical to priceless. One recent gift merits both descriptions. An adjacent property at the foot of Terrace Hill was given to the Terrace Hill Foundation, and then from the Foundation to the State of Iowa, in late December 2008. James S. Cownie (JSC Properties) and William C. Kimball (Kimball-Porter Investments) made the property transfer possible through their vision and generosity. The former pharmacy-turned-coffee-shop at 2400 Grand will be leveled and the groundwork prepared to accommodate up to 25 parking places for guests of Terrace Hill. The Cownie and Kimball gift, valued at $300,000, returns a parcel of what must surely have been part of the original 29-acre estate to Terrace Hill. It also provides a practical solution to a daily challenge for visitors. Contributions from Gerry Neugent and the William C. Knapp Charitable Foundation (Knapp Properties) and Bob Jester (Jester Insurance)have been made to help defray demolition and construction costs at the site.
Robert and Sally Liddle Canfield recently gave Terrace Hill a large set of Frances I sterling silver and a set of Haviland china. The silver and china had been wedding presents of Sallys parents and were used for the first time at Terrace Hill for a private dinner for ten hosted by James P. Hoffman of Keokuk. Hoffman was the high-bidder for the celebrity chef dinner at the Mardi Gras 2009 live auction. The five-course dinner was prepared by Chef John Meyer and his company, Main Dish Media.
An antique chandelier from Historic General Dodge House in Council Bluffs was recently installed in the governors office on the second floor of Terrace Hill. Originally purchased by the daughter of General Grenville Dodge, the chandelier had hung in the Dodge House, which was built by the same architect who designed and built Terrace Hill, William W. Boyington. Kurt Arends, a Terrace Hill Society board member from Council Bluffs, and Kori Nelson, administrator of the General Dodge House and a Terrace Hill Foundation board member, are thanked for their leadership resulting in this gift.
Throughout the years, Terrace Hill has benefited tremendously from the generosity of donors. Please keep Terrace Hill in mind when pondering the disposition of period-appropriate heirlooms.

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