Julie Hinds

Detroit Free Press Pop Culture Critic

Detroit is ready for its "This Old House" closeup.

The long-running PBS series announced Tuesday morning that the Motor City will be the site of a 10-episode project for its next season.

Production has begun on shows chronicling a Detroit home rehab. They're expected to begin airing in March 2017. Shooting in the city started two weeks ago, according to "This Old House" senior producer John Tomlin.

Tomlin says it's the first time that the series has done such a project in Detroit, although that fact is a little tough to nail down — pun intended — for a show that enters its 37th season this fall.

"Nobody else can remember another one," he says.

The house being renovated is a two-story 1939 brick home owned by retired Detroit firefighter Frank Polk and his family. Located in the historic Russell Woods neighborhood, it was previously one of the thousands of homes in need of restoration that are being auctioned by the Detroit Land Bank.

The episodes will cover the specifics of the home's rehab while weaving in the broader story of ongoing efforts to revitalize Detroit's neighborhoods and bring new life back to abandoned properties.

Tomlin says "This Old House" explored several cities as a destination before settling on Detroit, which he describes as having fascinating stories. There are plans to announce another project here in a few weeks.

"Everybody in the country has read about the difficulties Detroit has gone through," he says. "We're in the housing business. We did research and found out about the beautiful neighborhoods that exist in Detroit. Then we started hearing about the things that are happening, that people are really making an effort to bring them back and bring Detroit back. We decided it was a good time for us to get involved and follow a couple of those projects."

Detroit Public Television (WTVS), which airs "This Old House," applauds the choice.

"We are thrilled to have 'This Old House' come to Detroit," said Rich Homberg, the station's president and CEO, via e-mail. "It's a great opportunity to illuminate all the important work taking place in the city, especially when it comes to rehabbing old homes and improving area neighborhoods."

Located in northwest Detroit about 5 miles from downtown, Russell Woods has been home to a who's who of distinguished residents. According to the report that led to the 1999 designation of the Russell Woods-Sullivan Area Historic District, prominent residents have included poet and publisher Dudley Randall, artist Carl Owen, composer Brazeal Dennard and Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, former members of the Supremes.

And the famous connections don't end there.

"A 94-year-old man across the street from the project house says that Joe Louis used to be friends with the owners of the house we're doing and used to hang out there," says Tomlin.

As usual with "This Old House" participants, the homeowners are in charge of the project.

"They make all of the decisions and pay for it," says Tomlin.

But they will get the in-person help and expertise of the show's well-known on-air crew. General contractor Tom Silva and plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey are expected to be involved in the Detroit project. Master carpenter Norm Abram is busy with another project, but it's hoped he'll be coming here later in the process.

The Russell Woods house has many special architectural details.

"It has amazing windows, leaded glass casement windows with details of stained glass, that are just really beautiful. The study has a vaulted ceiling, which is very unique," says Tomlin.

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In exploring the house's wiring, the show's electrician found an outlet in the study with a plug and two knobs below it.

"He discovered the knobs were for an AM radio antenna. Before television, that's where they'd sit a huge radio and the family would sit around and listen to it," says Tomlin.

Among the work being tackled, according to the show: a new roof, kitchen and baths and new mechanicals to replace vandalized equipment in the basement.

Polk, who served as a firefighter for Detroit for about 15 years before retiring, says he and his wife, Tamiko, will live in the home along with his mother, Carolyn O'Bryant.

"It was an opportunity I couldn't let get by," he says of the home he bought about a month ago. Although he declined to reveal the price, city employees, city retirees and family members get a 50% discount on Land Bank purchases. "I have a love for my city. I see a resurgence occurring in the city, and myself and my family want to be a part of it. We take a lot of pride in our city."

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Polk says the house is about 1,800 square feet and features the sort of ornate brickwork and interior details that marked custom homes of that era in Detroit. "Builders really put a lot of effort and artistry into their building. We're just happy to have a home of this quality and the ability to enjoy it with one another."

He says he'll be doing much of the rehabbing with plenty of help from family and his firemen friends for some of the heavier-duty tasks. "It's all a hands-on friends and family project."

Polk's mother has been watching "This Old House" pretty much since it began airing, and he credits her with helping him discover it. When the show contacted the family, he had a hard time believing it.

"It was almost surreal," he recalls. "We thought it was a joke, but it turned out to be real. We're very grateful and appreciative and just excited about the whole thing."

"This Old House" will launch its new season in the fall with a restoration of an arts-and-crafts home from 1909 in Arlington, Mass. The Detroit home will be its second project.

For more information on the series, go to www.thisoldhouse.com.

Contact Detroit Free Press writer Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com.