A historic Detroit estate undergoing a significant renovation has hit the market for $9 million, the highest listing in Motor City.
The 32,000-square-foot Bishop Mansion, at 19366 Lucerne Drive, was once owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit as well as former Detroit Piston John Salley, Mansion Global reported.
Located in the Palmer Woods neighborhood, the mansion has 52 rooms including 12 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms and sits on 2 acres. The home’s exterior has been restored and cleaned, the listing says. New landscaping and a pool are slated to be completed sometime this year.
The grounds also include a restored carriage house and garage.
Amanda Uhlianuk of RE/MAX Complete has the listing.
“The renovation of the home has taken a lot of long hours and planning in terms of design, structural, mechanical and architectural planning which has all been completely laid out for the new owners and will come with the sale of the home,” Uhlianuk told Mansion Global.
“The main house is where most of the work is still needing to be done, while the carriage house is completely restored and move-in ready,” she added.
The house was built in the 1920s by Boston-based architects, McGinnis and Walsh, for their client, the Catholic Bishop of Detroit, using funds from a Detroit carriage and car company, Fisher Body. Materials for the house were imported from Europe, such as marble from Italy and wood from Germany.
The unidentified buyer in 2017 bought the house off-market last week after determining he was getting the best possible deal on the house: “We had a historical inspector here, and he said you couldn’t build this home for $50 million today,” said the buyer’s agent Antonio Rodriguez of Re/Max Suburban.
The buyer intended to renovate the house with the possibility of making the property into a luxurious bed and breakfast. Uhlianuk says new owners can complete the home with their own ideas.
“It’s a massive advantage to the right buyer to bring their own vision,” Uhlianuk told Mansion Global. “I think most people interested in a home of this caliber will have certain needs or wants on their list.”
— Ted Glanzer