The Ransom Gillis House is a historic mansion located in Detroit, Michigan. Built in the late 19th century, it is renowned for its stunning Victorian architecture and unique design. Originally constructed for Ransom Gillis, a prominent merchant, the house features intricate details and ornate craftsmanship typical of the Victorian era.
Despite periods of neglect, the Ransom Gillis House has undergone restoration efforts in recent years, attracting visitors with its rich history and architectural beauty. Today, it stands as a testament to Detroit’s past and a symbol of preservation efforts in the city.
Ransom Gillis House In Late 19th Century
Back in 1872, Ransom Gillis was a co-founder of a successful dry goods business, quickly making a name for himself as one of Detroit’s top businessmen. In 1876, architect Henry T. Brush, along with his assistant George Mason, drew up plans for a new home for Ransom, his wife Helen, and their three little children. By 1878, their stunning new abode was ready, all for a steal at just $12,000 – a bargain even by Brush’s standards. It turned out it was one of the cheapest homes ever completed by Brush. Nestled in Brush Park, the ritzy neighborhood of Detroit’s elite, this Venetian Gothic masterpiece stood proudly at the corner of John R. and Alfred Streets.
When it comes to the house’s construction, It was made of red brick and boasted a whopping 4,800 square feet, with three cozy bedrooms and a whopping 11 fireplaces. It was all surrounded by a fancy wrought iron fence that added to its charm.Dan Austin from HistoricDetroit.org describes the exterior:
“The centerpiece of the structure was the turret in the front left corner. It was accented by five rows of tiles of simple geometric designs in hues of bright blue, red, yellow and brown. Similar tile work was spread throughout the rest of the structure. The base of the turret was decorated with stone carvings of quadruplets of flower blossoms, similar but all slightly different. The turret was supported from below by an ornate stone post. Dark ornately carved wooden columnns enclosed the porch at the entrance to the house. A steep, dark slate mansard roof with ornate iron cresting completed the peaks in a traditional detail of the day.”
Gillis and his family only lived in their new lavish home for two years before deciding to move next door in 1880 and build an even fancier house. The place then changed hands a few times, first to the Stinchfields – a lumbering family who lived in the home for eight years before selling it to Alanson and Cornelia Fox – wealthy lumber barons. The Foxes held onto the home for 28 years, longer than anyone else, and they’re the ones most people remember owning it. Did they make it their own, even adding on a little extra space in the back.
Here’s where things get interesting. While the Foxes owned the place, a big moment went down in Detroit’s history right there on their property. In 1903, a ceramic artist named Mary Chase Perry Stratton struck up a deal with Alanson. She wanted to rent out the empty carriage house behind the main residence for her pottery studio, and Alanson agreed, charging her a cool $8 per month. That carriage house then became the birthplace of Pewabic pottery, a famous pottery brand founded by Mary and her business partner, Horace Caulkins. Cornelia Fox even hosted the first Pewabic pottery exhibition for her fancy friends in late 1903, right there in the carriage house.
Decades Of Decline And Restoration Attempts
In the early 1920s, Brush Park saw a shift as its wealthiest residents moved out that led to the conversion of the Gillis home into a multi-family rental. In 1921, the homes in the neighborhood were renumbered so that 63 Alfred St. became 205 Alfred St. Additionally, the stables housing the Pewabic pottery workshop were demolished in 1935 to make way for a restaurant.
During the Depression, a storefront was added, hosting Ann Essa’s family-run grocery store. This addition drastically changed the home’s appearance, removing the signature turret’s ornate support post, drilling holes for roof extensions, and filling in windows with cement. In the 1960s, Brush Park, including the Ransom Gillis house, fell into abandonment.
Various attempts to restore the home were made in the 1970s and 1980s such as restoration of exterior elements such as windows, doors, and facades or seeking funding and grants to finance restoration projects and maintenance efforts.Unfortunately, success remained elusive. By 2001, the City of Detroit took ownership, but the house suffered further deterioration, with the roof and turret collapsing. In 2005-2006, the city took steps to preserve the property by boarding it up against vandalism. Although the roof underwent replacement in 2007, no further repairs were carried out at that time.
The Revival Of Ransom Gillis House
On March 25, 2015, the Detroit Free Press announced that Nicole Curtis would be taking on the restoration of the home as part of her TV series, Rehab Addict. Curtis expressed her enthusiasm for the project, saying, “The energy here [Detroit] is unreal and it’s unmatched anywhere else. For doing what I do, to be in a city that’s excited for us to be here and not fighting us? It’s a huge thing.”
Work on the house began in the summer of 2015, with Curtis leading the renovation of the mansion originally built in 1876. The project was featured in an eight-part HGTV series, sponsored by Quicken Loans, the mortgage lender founded by local billionaire Dan Gilbert. The series made its debut in November 2015.
After the restoration, an open house attracted over 2,000 visitors who patiently waited in line for hours to tour the renovated home. That reflects the community’s excitement and interest in the revitalization of the Ransom Gillis House.
The restoration of the Ransom Gillis home serves as a symbol of Detroit’s optimistic revitalization efforts. With plans for $70 million in development in the surrounding Brush Park neighborhood, the project highlights the city’s hopeful renaissance and potential for growth.