Col. Frank J. Hecker House

The Col. Frank J. Hecker House is a historic home in Detroit built in 1888 for local businessman and railroad-car manufacturer Colonel Frank J. Hecker. Located at 5510 Woodward Avenue, it was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958. It is located near to the East Ferry Avenue Historic District and Cultural Center Historic District, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The house has been owned by Wayne State University since September 2014.
Frank J. Hecker was born in Freedom, Michigan, in 1846. He joined the Union Army at age 18, and he rose to the rank of Colonel. After the conclusion of the Civil War, he hired on as an agent for the Union Pacific Railroad. Using this experience, he later organized the Peninsular Car Company in Detroit, making his fortune in the railroad supply business. Hecker served in the Army again in the Spanish–American War, where he was in charge of transporting Spanish prisoners. This service brought him to the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, who in 1904 appointed Hecker to the Panama Canal Commission. Hecker also served as Detroit Police Commissioner, organized several banks in the midwest, and sat on the boards of the Detroit Copper and Brass Rolling Mills, Michigan Fire and Marine Insurance Company, and the Detroit Lumber Company.

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