Charles Lang Freer House, Historic mansion in Detroit Cultural Center, US
The Charles Lang Freer House is a single-family home on the Wayne State University campus in Detroit, designed in 1892 by architect Wilson Eyre in the Shingle style. The exterior combines dark-stained Michigan oak shingles with blue limestone from New York, giving the building a two-tone appearance.
The house was built for industrialist Charles Lang Freer, who made his fortune in railroad car manufacturing in Detroit and used the rooms to house a growing art collection. After his death, the building eventually became part of Wayne State University and now serves an academic purpose.
The house shows how a wealthy collector of the late 1800s chose to live among his artworks rather than keep them in a separate gallery. The rooms were arranged so that paintings and objects became part of everyday life in the home.
The building houses an academic institute today, so public access is limited and not guaranteed. It is worth checking in advance whether any part of the building can be visited and whether an appointment is needed.
The Peacock Room, a dining room painted by James McNeill Whistler, was originally installed in this house before being taken apart and moved to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. It can still be seen at the Freer Gallery of Art today, though it was never made to travel.
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