Charles Lang Freer (1854–1919) moved to Detroit in 1880, where he made a fortune manufacturing railroad freight cars. Together with his friend, neighbor and business partner, Col. Frank J. Hecker, Freer established Michigan Penninsular railroad car company and eventually master minded a merger of 13 railroad car companies into American Car and Foundry.

Beginning in 1887, Freer amassed a spectacular collection of contemporary American art and older Asian art, with a particular focus on works by James McNeill Whistler. Freer was a pioneering collector of Eastern art including paintings, sculpture, prints and ceramics from the Middle East, Indian, Korea, China and Japan.  He was particularly interested in searching for harmonious aesthetic relationships between art of different cultures, mediums and periods.

The Freer House is a masterpiece of American shingle-style architecture. Designed by the noted Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre and built in 1892, it was enlarged to accommodate Freer’s growing art collections with additions in 1906, 1910 and 1913. Considered one of Eyre’s premier works, the house is Michigan’s finest example of the shingle style. Working with Eyre and artists such as Thomas and Maria Oakey Dewing and Dwight W. Tryon, Freer designed and decorated his home to serve as setting for his interest in art.

Freer was a significant leader in the Detroit arts community, fostering its growth. He was an active supporter of the Detroit Museum of Art (today’s DIA), the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts (today’s College for Creative Studies), the Detroit Club and the University of Michigan. He also championed Mary Chase Perry, founder of Pewabic Pottery, and commissioned Pewabic tiles and vessels for his home.

The Peacock Room was once the dining room in the London home of Frederick R. Leyland, a wealthy ship owner from Liverpool, England. In 1876 Leyland commissioned James McNeill Whistler to paint the dining room, resulting in a brilliant and moveable set of panels. Purchased by Charles Lang Freer in 1904, the room was then installed in the Carriage House on the grounds of the Freer House. Today, the Peacock Room is permanently on display at the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Freer’s art collections remained in the house until his death in 1919, when they were transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. Today they can be seen at the Freer Gallery of Art, prominently located on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C. Freer Gallery at the Smithsonian.

In 1920, the Freer House became the home of the Merrill-Palmer Institute. Today, the Freer House is the location for MPSI/WSU faculty offices and meeting room facilities. The Freer House is open periodically to the public for tours.  Contact Rose Foster or William Colburn for the next open tour date at:  313-664-2500.

Please Join Us

The mission of the Freer House membership organization is to preserve and restore the Charles L. Freer House, and to raise awareness of Freer’s legacy in American art and architecture, as well as his unique role in the cultural history of Detroit.

Vibrant communities preserve their historic structures and celebrate their stories. By joining the Freer House, you will both enjoy benefits of membership and help protect one of Detroit’s most important architectural treasures.

Yearly membership is $10.00 for students, $35.00 for individuals and $45.00 for companion (2 adults).

** Includes complimentary or reduced admission to the Freer lectures and events.

Please fill out the registration below and mail in with a check payable to The Freer House/WSU.

(For payment by credit card please contact Rose Foster at 313-664-2500).

Mail to:

The Freer House
Wayne State University
Freer House
71 East Ferry, Detroit, MI 48202.

$10.00 (student)_____ $35.00(Individual)____                    

$45.00(Companion)____ $100.00(Donor)____ $250(Patron) _______

I don't wish to become a member but here is my contribution $____

NAME __________________________________________________

Companion name ($45 and above):___________________________

ADDRESS_______________________________________________

CITY___________________________STATE________ ZIP________

TELEPHONE_____________________________________________

Phone_____________________EMAIL________________________

For more information, please call or email Rose Foster at (313) 664-2500  or rmfoster@wayne.edu

Board of Directors

Peter Lichtenberg, Ph.D.
Director
Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute

William S. Colburn
Director, The Freer House
Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute

Phebe Goldstein, Chair
MPSI Board of Visitors
Chair

Thomas W. Brunk, Ph.D.
Freer House Scholar
President

Julianne Bjarnesen
WSU Development

Marianne Endicott
MPSI Board of Visitors

Rosemary Foster
Operations Coordinator
Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute

John H. Hannigan, Ph.D.
Deputy Director
Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute

Thomas B. Jankowski, Ph.D.
Associate Director
Institute of Gerontology, WSU

Judge Claudia House Morcom
Community Representative

Kenneth Myers, Ph.D.
Chief Curator and Curator of American Art
Head, Department of American Art
Detroit Institute of Arts

John Douglas Peters
Charfoos & Christensen, P.C.

Marilyn Tuchow
Community Representative

Board of Advisors

David Park Curry, Ph.D.
Curator of Decorative Arts
Painting and Sculpture
Baltimore Museum of Art

Heather Ecker, Ph.D.
Head of Curatorial Affairs
International Museum Programme
Aga Khan Foundation
Toronto, Canada

Lee Glazer, Ph.D.
Executive Editor, "American Art"
Academic Programs Advisor
Smithsonian Museum of American Art
Washington, D.C.

Susan A. Hobbs, Ph.D.
Director
Thomas Dewing Catalogue Raisonne
Alexandria, VA.

Yukio Lippit, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Japanese Art
Harvard University

Linda Merrill, Ph.D.
Independent Scholar
Atlanta, GA.

Joseph Rosa
Director
University of Michigan
Museum of Art