Palmer Woods "Party House" Relists for Just $199K

Photos via Zillow

Curbed has been covering the Palmer Woods "party house," a 1949 contemporary home, since January, when it first made a splash on the market at $320K. The last eight months have treated the place unkindly—it re-listed for the first time at $225K and now begs for your love at $199K. Original listings of the house attribute it to Minoru Yamasaki, most famous for the World Trade Center. That pedigree, even if the work was done by Yamasaki's firm with less input from the famed local architect than you might want, should ease the consciences of any potential buyers nervous about investing.

While we noted a lot of wrong things here—roof "deck" with no railing, the sad (but semi-expensive) too-new kitchen, the hectare of carpet), we're seeing a lot more that's right, especially at half the old price. The lines in this home are classic contemporary style—clean, simple, elegant. The niche wall in the entry could be a great focal point for a savvy homeowner. The fireplaces add character, the attached garage is a nice get for Detroit winters. The home's curb appeal cannot be denied, especially with improved pix lacking the metric ton of snow from the old ones.

While the party space definitely needs attention, if you imagine the planter wall in that room with, say, colorful cacti and river pebbles (as opposed to traces of old dirt and nothing else), and throw in bamboo flooring, the space becomes something far better than its current state allows. The baths remain largely untouched, apart from the terrible fake-old-time pedestal sink in one, and the original tile and shower enclosures are charming. The master bath, though, shows us that not all old stuff is good. It needs to meet the business end of a sledgehammer and experience the joys of gut remodeling ASAP.

If someone invested in this place, and planned renovations that highlighted all the wonderful architectural ideas here, the results could be breathtaking. At $199K, you could realize a very nice profit, given that homes on the same street have sold recently for nearly $300K and have listed (cough, pipe dream) for $889K. Not to mention that remodeling correctly would give the new homeowner the satisfaction of having rescued a unique piece of midcentury Detroit. The right buyer might also just do the unthinkable and actually live in this house for good.

·$299K: Confused Party House Reveals Upstairs Wet Bar [Curbed Detroit]
·$225k: Palmer Woods Party House Goes on Clearance [Curbed Detroit]
·Minoru Yamasaki [Historic Detroit]
·1520 Lincolnshire [Zillow]
·1580 Lincolnshire [Zillow]
·1700 Lincolnshire [Zillow]