The Herman Strasburg House is located at 5415 Cass Avenue in Midtown

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. It is now known as the Wayne State University Music Annex. The building 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 v ...

in 1986.

History

Herman Strasburg Sr. established was one of the leading dance teachers in Detroit in the 19th century. His son, Herman Strasburg Jr., was born in Detroit in 1860.Herman Strasburg House
from Detroit1701.org After graduating from high school in 1876, he joined his father's dancing school, and in 1883 became owner of the business after his father's death. In 1914, Strasburg and his wife Ida purchased this lot on Cass. The following year, they hired architect Marcus R. Burrowes to design the house on Cass Avenue. This was shortly after Burrowes left the firm of Stratton-Baldwin, a leader in bringing

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

style to Detroit. Herman Strasburg died in 1918, leaving his dance academy and house to his son Paul. The Strasburg family occupied the home until 1925,Herman Strasburg House
from Woodward Avenue although it is not clear if the house was used as a private residence or a

dance studio A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose. Overview A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used fo ...

. From 1925 to 1928, Harrison B. Anderson and Jean Campbell occupied the house, and from 1928 and 1931, Mary Fitzpatrick, who lived nearby, rented out rooms in the house to tenants. In 1931, Bendetson Netzorg purchased the house, and lived there with his parents and sister. He also used the house for his piano school, living there until 1944. In 1949,

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

bought the property, using it first as the Wayne University Choral Studio and later as the Wayne State University Music Annex.

Architecture

The Herman Strasburg house is an asymmetrical, two-and-one-half-story house, and is one of the best examples of

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

architecture in Detroit containing

elements. The first floor is clad in attractive red brickwork, while the second floor is characteristically

half-timber Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

ed. The roof is cross-gabled, with projecting half-timbered gable ends and a pendant decoration at the peak. Most windows are double-hung, although there are some leaded casement windows on the first floor. The interior has been extensively renovated. However, the original oak woodwork, paneling, and cabinetry remains intact. The main staircase is ornately carved, and the living room has a plastered barrel vault ceiling.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses in Detroit Houses completed in 1915 Wayne State University Tudor Revival architecture in Michigan