Nicole Curtis, host of HGTV's Rehab Addict, has her sights on Brush Park in downtown Detroit.
Curtis tells WXYZ's Brad Galli that she plans to rehab
an historic home in Brush Park at 205 Alfred St. The abandoned home was built from 1876-78 for Ransom Gillis, a wholesale dry goods merchant.
At HistoricDetroit.org, John Kossick describes it as one of Detroit’s oldest and most beautiful houses. He adds:
It was designed by Henry T. Brush and his assistant, a young George D. Mason. Mason would go on to become one of Detroit’s most prolific architects.
The Ransom Gillis House brought the Venetian Gothic style . . . to Detroit. The centerpiece of the structure was the turret in the front left corner. . . .
Various attempts were made to restore the main structure in the 1970s, 1980s and mid-2000s, none of which succeeded.
"We have been starring down Brush Park for a long time," Curtis tells WXYZ. She expects to start work this summer.
Curtis says of Detroit: "The energy here is unreal" and that she lives here "the majority of the time."
The cable network describes her show this way:
Nicole Curtis is saving historic houses, one broken-down fireplace at a time. Working in Detroit and Minneapolis, Nicole takes ramshackle homes from the wrecking ball to their original stunning glory. Whether it’s managing her rugged crew or wrangling city officials, this single mom wields her hammer with skill and returns condemned properties to their place as the pride of the neighborhood.
