This large two-story brick structure, generally rectangular in plan, has interlocking hipped roofs. Most window openings on the ground level are arched with rectangular window openings above. A full terrace extends across the front. The house was designed by G. Palmer Graves and built by Joe Lollar in 1910-11. It was the residence of Heinrich Frerichs, a buyer for German cotton interests. After the outbreak of World War I, it was discovered that Frerichs, who had fled the country in 1914, had been a high-ranking espionage officer in the German army. The U.S. military occupied the building in 1917. It was purchased in 1923 by Mrs. William G. Newby, who gave it to the newly formed Woman’s Club as a memorial to her husband. The building was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1967.
