Grout Museum

The Grout Museum District is a set of museums in Waterloo, Iowa. Named after Henry W. Grout, 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.

WWW Official Site 𝕏 GroutMuseum

General history

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.
The district is a nonprofit educational entity and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Bluedorn Science Imaginarium operated in a former savings and loan bank building from 1993 to October 4, 2025, when the museum closed as a result of rising maintenance costs of the building and the loss of levy funding for the museum, with plans to move some of its interactive exhibits back to the main Grout Museum building.

Grout Museum of History & Science

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. The current building on South Street was completed in 1956 and opened to the public as a not-for-profit museum.

Rensselaer Russell House Museum

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.