While still a senior in my undergraduate studies, I’d drive past this house thinking what must have happened. Then I did hours worth of research, and barely brushed the surface. From my findings, the property was near the epicenter of Black Bottom. Originally part of the original St. Aubin Ribbon Farm, it was subdivided and developed with immigrant worker housing in the 1880s. Heirs of the St. Aubin estate owned it for a while (presumably as a rental) and eventually sold it to the Italian Trotto family post depression. Nobody knows what happened over the next half century, but it was torn down in the mid-to-late 80’s and the parcel found its way into the annual tax auction. Bert Dearing of Bert’s Marketplace purchased the lot (he still owns dozens in the city). The lot sat idle for years, as the neighborhood around it continued to empty out. In the mid 2000s two students from Cranbrook approached Mr. Dearing about buying the lot to construct a house as their thesis project. With more time and design acumen than money, they reportedly designed and built some “dancing cages” for a club he owned and paid about $2000 for the lot. The title was held in aspiring architect Matthew Miller’s name. In 2007 this squat, modern, cinder block home was built as the brainchild of (at the time) Cranbrook Architecture Master’s students Matthew Miller and Thomas Gardner. Their project was a huge undertaking and revolutionary, a 900 square foot home, uniquely designed for urban living was designed and ultimately constructed.
“We are building a house, a dwelling for an under-housed family on the East Side of Detroit. The project will act as a framework and methodology for thinking and regarding human settlement, domesticity, and modes of living, while serving as a harbinger, a seed-germ for viability. And most importantly, in a modest but significant way, attend to the needs of a city and it’s citizenry.”
It utilized low cost materials that contributed to its safety and loft-like living. Mainly cinder block, two upstairs walls are 2×6 construction with fixed double pane windows. The upstairs is bright, airy and open, with an enclosed, floating bathroom in the middle of an on otherwise open space. The downstairs is dark and dingy, but gives a bullet proof sense of safety, containing only a galley kitchen and a small living room. The goal was to construct the home for less than $60,000, but for $40,000 with donated labor. From digging out the charred remains of the previous home, to being shot at with paint ball guns, the architects had a steep learning curve in urban construction.
To Thomas Gardner’s own admission, the architects “were no sociologists”. They gave the building to a single mother who had kids enrolled in a nearby elementary. Many people applied, but the most worthy was ultimately selected. After only a few months, the home became neglected of basic maintenance, pet feces piled up, the lawn was not maintained, and it became clear that she couldn’t handle it. It was then rented out and possibly sold to another, more able, individual. It was, at one time, listed for sale at $35,000. It was then donated to Motor City Blight Busters. Seemingly outside of their scope of work and geographic area, they later sold it to an individual. The individual sold it to an investor. The investor sold it to another investor. This other investor bundled it. The bundle of properties were sold to a woman in Australia. The bundle was split up and sold again. The smaller bundle was then enlarged and this property was mixed into other “rental properties”. This “rental-ready real estate portfolio” was then sold with 59 others to Shirley Ray, a woman in her 60s residing outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. She paid $600,000 for the whole lot, or $10,000 per house. There were 12 different owners in 6 years. Only a few of them had ever seen the house, much less visited Detroit.
This is the transactional state I found the house in. The physical state was much worse. The doors (and frames) were literally ripped out of the structure. Not an ounce of copper was left – wiring was pulled directly through the drywall. Having been open to the elements, moisture condensed on the fiberglass batt insulation, causing mold. A PVC water line had burst, causing water damage; luckily Thomas Gardner was able to turn it off during a class field trip 3 years ago. A two foot layer of rough urban detritus littered the floor: wet drywall, human feces, hypodermic needles, new (and used) condoms, bus passes, Better Made chip bags, Faygo pop bottles, hair brushes, soiled clothing. The state of the house was sad, but reminiscent of Detroit as a whole.
I drove past the house, shocked. I peeked in and became even more shocked. My friend and aspiring artist-architect, Brooke Ellis, accompanied me on my next visit. She gave some insight into the presumed logic of the design and unique nature of the structure. I spent months chasing down the owner. Following a seemingly endless mangled and rusty chain-of-title, I finally got a hold of a broker who knew something. Matt Golden of First Metro Properties was the lifeboat for Ms. Shirley Ray. She took a portion of her late husband’s estate and “invested it” into Detroit. Matt was surprisingly knowledgeable, helpful, and polite. He helped me forward pictures to the owner, explaining its condition and lack of monetary value. He fielded dozens of calls from both parties, for what must of been a very little commission. Once the price and terms were settled, he offered to perform a weekend closing.
As the new owner of a crazy house, I instantly became excited. I skipped class to scrape graffiti off the interior of the windows. I was scammed on a door purchase, but secured the property with the help of my stepdad’s friend. I got my mom’s cousin to install a security system and electrical panel. I went through three 30 yard dumpsters full of couches, debris, insulation, and dumped trash. The property was successfully stabilized, and although it has been “tagged” a few more times, we haven’t had break-ins or serious vandalism yet. It has for once stopped going downhill. The Detroit Blight Authority used the neighborhood as its first demonstration area, and changed the neighborhood for the better.
Spending hundreds of hours on or at this property gave me a crash course in Detroit property. Zoning, code, assessment, politics, school expansion, demolition actions, soil testing, historical research, you name it. Whether it’s how to respond to a vaporized Victorian with only the chimney left standing, a transvestite prostitute who is mad she can’t use “the public bathroom” anymore, or convincing DTE that its more than a “duck blind”, it has had enough unique experiences to write a novel.
The future plans are somewhat undetermined. The most likely scenario involves an AirBnb vacation rental property. Multiple legacy project holds, a big-name speculator, and the neighborhood’s proximity to downtown has hampered the purchase of even a back yard. I’ve spend many Saturday afternoons speaking with visitors from France, Belgium, Germany, Canada, and the suburbs who are pleasantly intrigued. This property has a little bit everything Detroit has to offer. A skyline view, rich history, industrial design, and incredible surrounding vacancy. Its a block from the extended Dequindre Cut, and a short walk to Eastern Market.
If you have better ideas, or would like to assist in the project, please feel free to reach out.