Stearns, Frederick K., House

The Stearns House is significant for its association with Frederick K. Stearns and with the architects, Stratton and Baldwin; and it is architecturally significant because of its fine medieval and Arts and Crafts design. This house represents an important movement in artistic design and is characteristic of larger homes associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. The Stearns House is linked to some key figures in Detroit's artistic community at the turn of the century. Frederick K. Stearns, founder of the Stearns Pharmaceutical Company, was an important collector of Oriental art. His collection, which he donated to the Detroit Museum of Art, contained over 16,000 objects of art from several eastern nations.

The Frederick K. Stearns House is a two-and-one-half-story, gable-roofed house, with stucco and half timber facades, which faces southeast toward Jefferson Avenue. The house's medieval character is reinforced by a variety of window sizes and grouping and by several projecting bays and broad roof surfaces. The house is constructed of hollow tile.