Berry Gordy’s ‘Motown Mansion’ In Detroit Sells For $1.65M

DETROIT, MI — The “Motown Mansion,” an estate once owned by Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, sold Monday for $1.65 million, according to a local realtor. The elaborate estate at 918 W. Boston Blvd. is listed as off the market by Patch’s real estate partner, realtor.com.

Lawyer Cynthia Reaves, who moved from California to Detroit, her hometown, to oversee the renovation of the iconic, 1917 mansion, sold the property to an undisclosed buyer. Reaves has won awards for her classic restoration of the mansion that Gordy, the man most responsible for Detroit’s R&B sound, used as his home base when business brought him back to Detroit.

Gordy put the mansion on the market in 2002 and Reaves, who had both the means to hire an architect an interest in preserving its unique features, snapped it up. The mansion had originally been built for a lumber baron and was known as the 1917 Michelson Estate.

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The Motown Mansion had been on and off the market for years, and because of the extensive renovation Reaves shepherded, sold above the $1.59 million asking price, real estate agent Deborah Smith told The Detroit News.

Situated on a lush 2.2 acre lot at 918 W. Boston, this architectural marvel includes a 10,500-square-foot primary residence and adjoining 4,400-square-foot pool house. A carriage house on the property also has its own house-sized apartment.

The main residence boasts stained-glass windows, 10 bedrooms, five full and four half baths, and has four fireplaces that provide warmth and ambience during crisp Michigan weather. The living room spans the west side of the main floor and features black walnut paneling and wood floors. It opens through five French doors to an adjacent sunroom that is tiled and carpeted, and features a handcrafted fountain. The home has seven dining areas and a wine cellar.

Smith told The Detroit News the sale was Detroit’s second-highest residential sale in 2017. A penthouse in the Book Cadillac sold for $1.79 million, Smith said.

All photos via realtor.com