About Us
About The Owners
Jeff & Kim Mossman
Hi, I’m Jeff Mossman. My wife Kim and I both have roots in Iowa’s farming community. We both grew up on large farms. Perhaps our common background and shared desire to raise our children in America’s wholesome farmland, led us to purchase Iowa’s most famous estate; The Conrad Mansion. I attended business school in Ohio. Kim graduated from Iowa State University. Kim is a talented pianist and singer/songwriter. She teaches piano lessons on the grand piano in our home and has home schooled all seven of our children. He has an entrepreneurial spirit. Together they have seven children and three grandchildren.
The Experiences That Shaped Us
My first business venture was a Dairy Queen style restaurant I leased and managed. (I paid off my senior year of college with the funds it generated). Kim and I operated several restaurants. Later in life, I launched a roofing company, which grew exponentially, and morphed into a massive real estate enterprise. Soon after our wedding, Kim and I became missionaries. We traveled the world and had many spectacular adventures. We lived in Hawaii, New York City, Russia and we even traveled through Africa and South America. In total, we visited 48 countries. Eventually we returned to Iowa to home-school our seven children. Fortune, grace and… elbow grease, enabled us to purchase a massive, historic farm estate, where we spent fifteen years raising our children.
Our older, biological children now have their own families and live abroad. Our younger children are adopted, and still live at home. We love to travel! These days, however, the Mossman family travels as a large group of fifteen (since we now have grandchildren!) We enjoy renting spacious homes in destinations such as Canada or Colorado, so that we can all snow ski together. In addition to skiing and winter sports, we love bowling, movies, and family cruises. Our love for family-oriented travel inspired us to open our own private home as a destination for weddings, large groups, family reunions, corporate retreats, business meetings, etc. It is our life mission to share the fortune of our personal estate and help guests to create memories that last a lifetime.
Why We Got Into Weddings
It all began with our two eldest daughters. Our family moved into the Mansion in 2003 and our daughters had dreams of someday getting married at the mansion. So, as plans would have it, they did just that. One a gorgeous winter wedding with two feet of snow and the other a beautiful summer outdoor wedding. My wife and I enjoyed hosting these weddings so much and seeing friends and family stay in our big house and celebrate all weekend we decided to share our hidden gem with the world. And so “Weekend Wedding Celebrations at the Mansion” began. And hosting weddings for couples all around the Midwest is fulfilling many dreams. Now our seventeen and eighteen year old daughters are dreaming about turning their #bestdayever into their #bestweekendever.
Photo by Alli Hormann Photography
Our Service to You Is Our Passion
Truly, hospitality is our life calling; not merely our business mantra. Our young children have guided us in launching “The Conrad Mansion” and now our newest addition “The Carriage House” as a wedding business venture and they stand behind it. Through this business, our children have learned service, brotherhood and responsibility. They assist in all aspects of cleaning, guest communications, marketing, and farm maintenance, and they are compelled to do this. As parents, we are grateful for this opportunity to teach them! This is the reality of having a large family and living in a country estate. We cannot imagine life any differently. Our children are enthusiastic about horses, and the possibility of offering winter sleigh rides, hayrides, and wedding carriages as a business concept in the future.
Currently, we have horses, sheep, chickens. During the warmer seasons, we invite guests to help bottle feed the lambs and/or gather fresh eggs. All of this is a blessing. We invite you to share in this blessing. Be our guest!
In grace and gratitude,
- The Mossman Family
Photo by Alli Hormann Photography
About The Mansion
The Conrad Mansion
CONRAD, IOWA
From Small Seeds in America’s Heartland, to Growth as a Charming Wedding Destination
The Conrad Mansion is a luxurious French provincial estate set in the fertile soil of America’s heartland. The first seeds for this property were planted in the early 1940’s. The mansion was developed as a multi-million-dollar private home in the 1970’s. Today, the notable estate is being re-branded by the Mossman family.
History of the Land
The history of this region dates to prehistoric times when Chiwere-speaking tribes (Ioway/Baxoje) nurtured an agricultural lifestyle, growing maize in the prairie land and rich soil.
In the early 1960’s a young farmer named Leslie Clemens launched a small seed company. Clemens was focused on breeding resilient lines of corn, oat, sorghum and soy for American agri-business. During the 1960’s and 70’s, he experienced tremendous growth and success with this seed company.
In 1974, Clemens’ Seed Farm sold to Pfizer in a billion-dollar transaction. A new division of Pfizer, called Pfizer Genetics Inc. was launched through the acquisition of Clemens’ seed company. Soon after, a central research division of Pfizer was established, combining pharmaceutical, agricultural, and chemical R&D worldwide.
Pioneers were drawn to this land of noble streams, picturesque hills and valleys, and broad prairies with a soil quality surpassing anything they’d ever seen. Pioneer farmers described topsoil as “the Black Gold of Iowa.”
Today, Iowa still plays an important agricultural role in feeding the world. Corn, oats, soybeans, cattle, swine, eggs, milk. Iowa’s early agricultural history sowed the seeds for The Conrad Mansion.
Construction of the Mansion
From small seeds, grow new beginnings. With funds from the sale of his company to Pfizer, Leslie and his wife Sandra Clemens began drafting their dream home. Construction on the mansion began in 1975, between the Iowa and Cedar Rivers, in the small town of Conrad, Iowa; the heart of the Clemens’ beloved, fertile prairie land of Grundy County. The estate, completed in 1977, drew attention from media sources world-wide. It was the largest single-family home ever built in Iowa.
The 16,000 square foot French provincial estate was surrounded by elegant landscaping, fountains, patios, gardens and orchards. The interior boasted eleven bedrooms, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and magnificent craftsmanship details such as Italian white marble fireplaces, an oak dance floor, and a 48,000-gallon heated indoor swimming pool. The property also featured a carriage house and several grounds buildings used as shop and storage for Leslie Clemens’ farming equipment.
Living at the Mansion
Through the 1970’s and 80’s the Clemens family maintained an active role in civic life, grain farming and agriculture within the community of Grundy County. While they tried to keep the uniqueness of their estate low-key, they hosted many parties and social events for the townsfolk of Conrad, Iowa. Over time, the locals grew accustomed to this lavish estate, referring to it as “The Conrad Mansion or the Clemens Mansion.”
In 1988, seeking to downsize, and travel in their retirement, Leslie and Sandra Clemens auctioned off the home. Promotional brochures were printed and sent to embassies around the world. It was the end of an era.
Over the following decade, the notable estate passed through the hands of several new owners and took on new identities as an antique shop/restaurant, a bed and breakfast and conference center. In 2003, Jeff Mossman saw an advertisement for the sale of the property. Mossman was a real estate mogul with a background in developing motel properties. Mossman and his wife Kim were Iowa natives, seeking a spacious home for their large family of seven children. The Conrad Mansion proved to be the perfect fit.
The Mossmans' Take Over the Mansion
The Mossmans made renovations and extensive modernizations to The Conrad Mansion. They installed a gymnasium and a state-of-the-art theater room. They raised their six older children in the home. (Those children are now grown and on their own.) The Mossman’s are currently only raising their youngest adopted child. They also now have five grandchildren who enjoy visiting the estate. Some call The Conrad Mansion “palatial, fancy, extravagant, a masterpiece in workmanship, and a dream home.” But Jeff and Kim Mossman simply called it “home”. Their three oldest children hosted graduation parties at the estate and their eldest even held her wedding reception in the grand gymnasium. Their second eldest daughter held her outdoor wedding and reception around the backyard fountain and gardens.
Jeff Mossman’s fondest memory is his children’s ‘blizzard parties’.
“When a blizzard was in the forecast, the kids would call up their friends and invite everyone over. If the forecasters were right, we’d all be snowed in for days with nonstop fun and food! If only the walls could talk!”
Clearly, the Mossman’s have always enjoyed sharing the splendor of their dream home and welcoming guests with world-class hospitality. Their interest in sharing this grandeur bodes well in the age of the sharing economy.
The Mansion Opens to the Public
"We are extending an invitation!”
STAY | WED | CELEBRATE
An Awe-Inspiring Central Iowa Mansion & Estate for Ceremonies and Receptions
Serving amazing couples from Des Moines, Ankeny, Ames, Fort Dodge, Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and all across the Midwest.
Your engagement is Instagram-official and that means you’re in search of one very special location to celebrate your #bestdayever.
In searching for wedding venues in Iowa, it’s become clear what you don’t want: a cookie cutter venue where your wedding day feels like a blur, or a copy of someone else's wedding. You've noticed many beautiful Iowa wedding venues are starting to look the same and rush you in and out in just a few hours. That’s just not your vision.
This is the one time of your life this group of friends and family will come together. You've been dreaming about this day for so long. Celebrating all weekend long would be so much more fun.
We know what it takes to make your wedding day dreams come true, and our mansion and reception space is ideal for weekend-long celebrations.
Photo by Alli Hormann Photography