The Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Cottage is a historic house located at 19 Thomas Street in Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland. It was built in 1936 to house the residence and professional office of

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Frieda Fromm-Reichmann ( Reichmann; October 23, 1889 in Karlsruhe, Germany – April 28, 1957 in Rockville, Maryland) was a German psychiatrist and contemporary of Sigmund Freud who immigrated to America during World War II. She was a pioneer for ...

, one of the leading psychoanalysts at the

Chestnut Lodge Chestnut Lodge (formerly known as Woodlawn Hotel) was a historic building in Rockville, Maryland, United States, well known as a psychiatric institution. It was a contributing property to the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District. History ...

psychiatric hospital, on whose grounds it stood. Fromm-Reichmann (1899-1957) was influential in the development of

interpersonal psychoanalysis Interpersonal psychoanalysis is based on the theories of American psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan (1892–1949). Sullivan believed that the details of a patient's interpersonal interactions with others can provide insight into the causes and cure ...

and its use in the treatment of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...

. The cottage was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 2021.

Description and history

The Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Cottage stands in a park-like setting on what were formerly the grounds of Chestnut Lodge, which served as a psychiatric hospital until 1999. It stands on the eastern part of those grounds, and is now set among other suburban residential buildings. It is a modest -story wood-frame structure, set on a concrete foundation faced in brick, and covered by a dormered gable roof. The interior of the ground floor is arranged in a center-hall plan, with Dr. Fromm-Reichmann's office on the east side, and the dining room and kitchen on the west side. It was built with features to serve Frieda's work "'like a narrow office near the entrance for a secretary-receptionist, and soundproof double doors on the consulting room. The cabinets on the first floor had special locks to protect their contents from unruly patients, and the front door had an extra device that could be fastened from the inside to deter unexpected 'visitors'.; Frieda saw most of her patients in her office at the cottage with 'the secretary typing away on the other side of a thin wall.'" A screened porch was later added at the back which was sometimes used for sessions on hot days. A former garage space was converted into a reception area for the doctor's patients. Frieda Fromm-Reichmann was a German-born Jew who came to the United States in 1935. Trained in Germany as a psychiatrist by leaders in the field, she was immediately an influential presence at Chestnut Lodge, where she began working in 1936. She became a leading practitioner and educator in the techniques of

, and argued that its techniques could be applied to the most significant psychiatric disorders. She remained at Chestnut Lodge in 1955, leaving for a year on sabbatical in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

. She returned to Chestnut Lodge in 1956, but her health declined and she died the following year. In 2021 it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

and designated a National Historic Landmark "for its association with Dr. Frieda Fromm-Reichmann (1889–1957), a psychiatrist internationally renowned for her pioneering contribution to the treatment of schizophrenia, a serious mental illness that interferes with a person's ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others." The cottage where she lived and saw her patients is the most prominent location associated with her productive life.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Colonial Revival architecture in Maryland Houses completed in 1936 Houses in Montgomery County, Maryland Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, Maryland