Ransom Gillis Before: Nicole Curtis' Work-in-Progress

Curbed's photographers, Michelle and Chris Gerard, got a great look inside Ransom Gillis house. Work continues round the clock so that the house, still owned by the Detroit Land Bank according to a Quicken exec visiting the site, will be fully restored and camera ready by the time HGTV begins airing Rehab Addict episodes centering on the 1876 home in November. Today, the home has new sub flooring and is fully framed and ready for drywall. Mechanicals are in place, including plumbing and electric. Neighbors report crews working into the wee hours, and the shape of things to come is already a very pretty one indeed.

The work, underwritten by Quicken Loans, began in June, and Curtis is still on the hunt for pictures of Ransom Gillis' interior so she can truly restore it to original condition.

"If you know you have pictures, bring them here," Curtis said Thursday. While historic pictures of the home's exterior abound, no one seems to have any interior shots, and Curtis would love input from anyone in the metro Detroit area—and beyond—who has photographs from Ransom Gillis' heyday. When asked about the home's final purpose, Curtis was quick with a joke.

"I'm going to live in it," she said. The HGTV host and Lake Orion native was kidding, but it's not all that terrible an idea.

·Michelle and Chris Gerard [Michelle and Chris Gerard]
·Nicole Curtis' Ransom Gillis Tour Highlights Renewal [Curbed Detroit]
·Ransom Gillis House Tanned, Rested and Ready for its Closeup [Curbed Detroit}
·Dan Gilbert Sponsors Nicole Curtis Rehab of Ransom Gillis House [Curbed Detroit}