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For $150K, buy to restore this Corktown home dating all the way back to 1848

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One of Detroit’s oldest remaining houses needs some love

By Aaron Mondry
A two-story wooden home that’s been stripped of paint. All the windows are boarded up and there’s a green tarp over the roof. Photos by Ignited Photography

One of Detroit’s oldest homes, and one of the few left in its style, is for sale. Though it’ll be a true labor of love to restore it.

This 1,400-square-foot home on Sixth Street has had quite a history. The current owner, a Corktown historian and preservationist, says the home dates all the way back to 1848. Though according to parcel maps, it was moved from its location near the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel to its current one around 1906. Many other homes in that area were demolished to make way for the tunnel.

There are only a handful of homes in the city still around from that time, and even fewer in its Greek Revival style, which is similar to the former residence of Ulysses S. Grant. It’s also next door to the Workers Row House, currently being restored, from the same time period.

There’s a single door on the back and a window in the attic. There’s a path of bricks on the ground from the sidewalk to the back yard.
Rear of the house with a brick paver walkway to the back yard.

But the home has been vacant for years and is in desperate need of restoration. All the exterior paint has worn off over time, leaving its wood siding exposed and potentially rotted. The roof has been covered with tarp and the windows boarded, which suggests water damage to the interior. Fortunately, while much of it has been gutted, lots of the original trim and woodwork have been saved.

There are a few other potential issues with the home. It’s part of a local historic district, which means its historic integrity must be preserved, and it’s bundled with an adjacent property, though the owner is currently working to separate the parcels.

Want to own and restore a truly unique piece of history? 1440 Sixth Street is listed for $149,995 with Joy Santiago Clark of Dwellings Unlimited.

A room with exposed brick walls and wood beams on the ceiling. There’s long pieces of wood stacked on the floor.
The masonry and studs are exposed in this nearly gutted home.
A pile of wood pieces and ornamental wood details stacked. There’s a ladder in an empty doorway.
Lots of the trim and woodwork have been saved.
Three two-story buildings with the unadorned wood house in the middle. There’s a freeway behind it with taller buildings on the other side.
The home is on Sixth Street next to the Workers Row House, which dates back to 1849.

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