Detroit's Bagley Mansion hits market after makeover from TV star

Judy Rose | Special to the Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Detroit mansion hits market after makeover from TV star The 1889 one-of-a-kind Bagley Mansion on East Jefferson Avenue, is in very good condition and suitable for a home or commercial use.

At 130 years old, the Bagley Mansion still stands as one of the grand old luxury homes built on downtown Detroit’s East Jefferson Avenue.

It was built in 1889 by John N. Bagley, the son of Michigan Gov. John J. Bagley. It’s said to be one of Detroit’s oldest surviving French Renaissance style structures.

At the time, Jefferson Avenue was “broad and fringed with elms and maples, a magnificent residential street,” as the late architectural historian W. Hawkins Ferry wrote in his encyclopedic work “The Buildings of Detroit: A History.”

Today the mansion’s three-story staircase and 18 rooms are painted snow white, fresh from a major facelift by TV star and bridal consultant Keasha Rigsby. Rigsby became known through her appearances on TLC’s long-running show “Say Yes to the Dress” — the New York version.

She bought the Bagley Mansion in 2016 and refurbished the inside. Its all-white interior and circular tower rooms are the setting for her business, Beautiful Bridal by Keasha Rigsby. It’s an appointment-only bridal studio with elegant and exotic dresses.

Now, a family matter is causing Rigsby to retire early, so she has listed the mansion for sale. The price is a little over $3 million, almost the same as the grand Kresge Mansion in the Boston-Edison District.

For the record, those aren’t Detroit’s priciest listings. That goes to a stunning two-story penthouse at the top of the Book Cadillac Building, listed at $4.9 million.

At 130 years the Bagley Mansion is in unusually good shape, said Realtor Jason Hill, who is co-listing it with Paul "PJ" Ryder, both of Historic Commercial. The structure is solid. The original slate roof intact.

Bagley’s luxury touches remain. He’d hired the acclaimed sculptor and artist Julius Melchers to carve elaborate fireplaces, to build a stained glass window and to carve a stone entrance in Renaissance style.

Hawkins Ferry’s book takes note. It calls the stone entrance “noteworthy” and “handsome.” It calls the carved main floor mantles “exquisite.”

The house has a wide tower three stories high, which gives it large circular rooms ringed with windows.

It will be interesting to see whether a buyer returns it to a residence or continues it as a commercial building. Rigsby shaped it for commercial use with multiple offices to rent on the second and third floors.

She rents to some businesses that complement her bridal shop — for example an aesthetician and a tuxedo shop. She also rents the main floor as a venue, for example for bridal showers.

On the residential side though, Hill said, “There are residents who moved from Indian Village to the mansions on East Jefferson for more space. They love living closer to the water and being part of the Rivertown community — the cafes, breweries, restaurants.”

The Dequindre Cut to Eastern Market is nearby. The Joseph Campau Greenway, another bike and walking path, is being built. Along with Detroit’s long RiverWalk ,they’ll frame this part of Rivertown.

Used as a house, the Bagley Mansion would have roughly 11 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. In 1889 before good central heating, nearly every main room had a fireplace. In her facelift, Rigsbsy covered over some lesser fireplaces, but left three each on the first and second floors, including the fine Melchers’ carvings.

Hill noted the strong rise in the prices of fine city houses. “There aren’t many left. This house is one of a kind.”

He pointed out that Kid Rock’s mansion on the Detroit River, in the historic Berry Subdivision, just sold for $2 million — “in nine days.”

Co-lister Ryder said, “We’ve always said in Detroit, ‘If only that house were in any other city, it would be worth ... whatever.’”

“Now that is what it’s worth. I think that’s cool as heck.”

Bagley Mansion

Where: 2921 East Jefferson Avenue

How much: $3.27 million

Bedrooms: 11

Baths: 2.5

If commercial use: Possible offices 20, parking spaces 15.

Square feet: 8,495 in the top three floors. About 2,000 unfinished rentable space in the lower level.

Key features: The 1889 one-of-a-kind Bagley Mansion on East Jefferson Avenue, is in very good condition and suitable for a home or commercial use. Big, round, sunny rooms, a handsome staircase, a recent fresh facelift. Historic designation.

Contact: Jason Hill, 313-220-4820, or Paul "PJ" Ryder, 313-492-3522, both of Historic Commerical.