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Aretha Franklin's childhood home in Detroit selling for roughly $380,000

Brendel Hightower   Detroit Free Press

DETROIT − Aretha Franklin’s 6,000-square-foot childhood home in Detroit’s historic La Salle Gardens neighborhood was put back on the market Sunday after a recent sale fell through. It’s listed at $379,900.

The brick colonial built in 1916 has six bedrooms, three full bathrooms, two half-bathrooms and a detached, four-car garage.

The Detroit home was previously listed for sale Jan. 13 by Brittany Randall of Clyde Realty LLC in Southfield.

“Renovations have been started, but there is still enough room to add your personal touch,” reads the Realcomp listing description of the home. "Revive this 3 story home to glory. Original hardwood floors and Pewabic tile throughout. Carriage house has the capacity to hold 4 vehicles with a 1 bedroom unit upstairs. Original brick fireplaces throughout the home. The kitchen and bathroom have been updated. Plumbing, electrical, and AC, is newer installed."

Randall said she hopes to find buyers ready to fully restore the home.

“The house needs a lot of work. Some rooms have been completed. The owners were going room by room,” Randall said. “I would like to keep up with the glory of the block."

The house was re-created on a movie set in Atlanta for several pivotal scenes in the 2021 film “Respect,” which chronicles Franklin’s life from childhood in the 1950s through her breakthrough as a global star.

In 2013 the house was listed as a bank-owned property that was sold "as is" for $46,874.

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Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com.

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