In addition to having once housed one of the world’s greatest collections of Asian and American art, Wayne State’s Freer House also used to have unique gardens and landscaping. In 1897, the Detroit Sunday News Tribune wrote, “Mr. Freer’s garden and grounds are those of a man who has traveled and seen much.”

The landscaping was so notable that on Monday, Aug. 5 approximately 70 members of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers will attend a presentation at the Freer House about plans for its Garden Revitalization Project. A tour of the Freer House and courtyard will also be provided. The stop is one of several for the landscape designers in Detroit as part of the organization’s international conference.

A Freer House Garden Project Committee envisions reintroducing the gentle arc of Freer’s original carriage path as a walkway from Ferry Street and restoring the gardens using trees and plants authentic to Freer’s aesthetic vision but with sustainable, low level maintenance requirements. When completed, seating and specially placed paving blocks will allow the garden to serve both as a place for contemplation and a setting for outdoor events hosted by the Freer House, Wayne State, and the community. Fundraising for this major project is now underway.   

If you are interested in learning more about the garden project, or supporting it with a financial contribution, contact William Colburn, director of the Freer House, at 313-664-2500 or william.colburn@wayne.edu.  

Photo: A conceptual Freer House garden rendering by Thomas Holleman, 2012.