For the first time in more than a decade — and apparently the last time ever — Nicole Curtis will open the renovated Ransom Gillis house to the public.
Curtis, the former star of HGTV’s “Rehab Addict,” announced through her team that she is opening the house in Detroit’s Brush Park to visitors with $15 cash admission at 11 a.m. Sunday.
“Nicole’s followers have been asking for years for another tour of Ransom Gillis,” her team said in an emailed statement Saturday. “She did not own it and until the past year had never stepped foot in it again after removing her furniture in November 2015.”
The money will go to “a fabulous family” in Detroit that needs help, according to her Instagram and a statement from her team.
On her social media, Curtis said Sunday would be the last time the Ransom Gillis house would be open to the public. The open house was originally scheduled for Saturday but was moved due to weather concerns.
Curtis also said she would kick off the event with a Q&A session at 10:45 a.m. Sunday.
Built in 1876, the Ransom Gillis house is named for a former Detroit merchant. It was built in a Venetian Gothic style.
Curtis took on the task of renovating the mansion in partnership with Quicken Loans in the summer of 2015. The house opened to the public for viewings in November of that year.
“This house has so many stories and yes, there’s a few ghosts, too,” one of her Instagram posts reads.
Curtis’ showing of the Ransom Gillis house comes about four months after a video clip circulated online of her saying a racial slur while doing home improvement work. HGTV pulled “Rehab Addict” from its platforms after the clip went public.
In a social media post referencing the video, Curtis claimed someone tried to blackmail her with the footage. Her team said she took “full responsibility” for what they characterized as “a clear slip of the tongue.”
Curtis has also spoken publicly in support of Birmingham enacting stricter city ordinances to regulate short-term rentals.
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Former HGTV star Nicole Curtis to open renovated Detroit mansion to the public
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Max Bryan, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
