Cityscape

Auctioneer and appraiser Lawrence DuMouchelle, 84, 'never abandoned Detroit'

May 22, 2019, 8:25 AM

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Lawrence DuMouchelle
July 2, 1934  May 16, 2019

 

A locally famous auctioneer and appraiser gets a proper sendoff in The Detroit News this morning.

You may know DuMouchelles Art Galleries — the downtown fine art auction house —  from rides down Jefferson or having gone in to marvel at all the art, and furniture, and accessories. Last week, its president, Lawrence DuMouchelle, who inherited the business from his parents, died at 84.

Just like the wares sold by his auction house, DuMouchelle's reputation was reportedly sterling.

He ... refused to move the company from the city. Son Robert DuMouchelle called his father, who invested in several historic homes and buildings, a “role model” and a “man of honor” who faced challenges in his industry and in life and never abandoned Detroit.

“He brought solutions where others couldn’t see them, and he was always very generous to the city,” the longtime general manager said. “He was very supportive and a believer in the city. He invested and made things happen when things weren’t happening.”

Over the years, the business has held auctions for items from the Manoogian Mansion as well as Elizabeth Briggs Fisher, whose father was the late Walter O. Briggs, the former Detroit Tigers owner, the Whitney estate, Fisher homes and the Dodge-Ranger estate.

"He was a very smart fellow," [restauranteur Joe] Muer said. "He ran that business expertly."

The business was DuMouchelle's life, the paper writes.

DuMouchelle gained a foothold early on, becoming an apprentice at age 11. His first experience as an auctioneer was at 16 when his father had him stand on a crate at an estate sale selling floor lamps, relatives recall.

Although he had hoped to study accounting and law at the University of Notre Dame, he remained in the city to help run the family business after his father became terminally ill.

Following Joseph DuMouchelle's death in March 1957, he took over and became president.

Services next week

  • Visitation: Thursday, May 30, from 4-8 p.m. (7 p.m. prayer service) at Verheyden Funeral Home, 16300 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Park.
  • Funeral: Friday, May 31, at 10 a.m. in Lake Catholic Church, 157 Lake Shore Rd, Grosse Pointe Farms.


Read more:  The Detroit News


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