The Bishop Mansion, a 35,029-square-foot estate in Detroit’s Palmer Woods neighborhood, sold for $800,000 on Jan. 15. The sale follows years of ambitious pricing, stalled plans and renewed interest in one of the city’s most recognizable properties.
The three-story brick-and-limestone mansion was originally listed for $9 million in May 2023, before later dropping to $1 million, a shift that reflects both its immense scale and the extensive rehabilitation required to bring it back to life.
The new owner plans to transform the historic estate into both a personal residence and a hub for innovation.
Buyer Calvin Gee, 35, who grew up in West Bloomfield and graduated from the University of Michigan, said he plans to move into the mansion and relocate his company, Engage, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit.
“I’ve spent the past few years in tech building out different companies around the world, and I really wanted to bring a piece of that back to the city,“ Gee said.
Engage is an artificial intelligence and robotics company, and Gee said the move represents a desire to reconnect his professional work with his hometown while contributing to Detroit’s future.
Built in the 1920s, the estate sits on 2 acres at 19366 Lucerne and was once owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, serving as the residence of Catholic Bishop Michael Gallagher.
The mansion includes 12 bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, six half baths, along with a restored carriage house and garage, described in the listing as “a stunning example of what’s possible within the main home.”
Gee said he has long been aware of the property and views the purchase as an opportunity rooted in preservation.
“I grew up seeing it,” he said. “I thought it was a great opportunity to steward the house, to preserve its historical character, but also to innovate it in a unique way and be a part of Detroit’s legacy and story.”
Though the property requires significant rehabilitation, it retains much of its historic character, including original stained-glass windows, a private chapel, carved stonework, limestone fireplaces and intricate woodwork.
A 2024 YouTube video tour by Paul Wolfert highlighted both the mansion’s grandeur and its deterioration, revealing soaring ceilings, wood-paneled walls, marble features, dumbwaiters, an elevator shaft, solid wood staircases and open spaces plumbed for bathroom and mechanical systems. Some ceiling and wall damage, unfinished floors and exposed brick also were visible.
According to the listing, strategic demolition has been completed to prepare for new HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems. Archtectural plans are included, and all back taxes have been paid.
The Bishop Mansion has changed hands several times over the decades. After leaving the archdiocese, it was sold in 1989 to former Detroit Pistons player John Salley, then transferred in 1995 to Great Fath Ministries International. In 2017, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, founder of Impact Network, sold the estate to a California investor for more than $2.5 million.
The property was slated for auction in June 2024 through Schrader Real Estate and Auction Co., using a sealed-bid format designed to protect buyer confidentiality, according to a previous Detroit Free Press report.
Public records show a warranty deed recorded Oct. 28, 2024, reflecting a prior sale price of $400,000, before the most recent transaction.
The selling agent, Celest Gee of Re/Max Leading Edge in Dearborn Heights, is related to the buyer.
“The buyer is very enthusiastic about keeping the integrity of the property, while thoughtfully giving it a future,” Gee said.
Brendel Clark (previously published as Brendel Hightower) writes about real estate and other topics for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bclark@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Once listed for $9M, Detroit’s largest mansion sells at deep discount
Reporting by Brendel Clark , Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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