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That playful scamp who runs Quicken Loans is at it again.

For the second straight year, Dan Gilbert issues a mock media release with outrageous "news" and hooks an immediate media bite, though just briefly.


Quicken describes this as "a symbol of the city's launch into the new era of prosperity,excitement and inclusion.".

A two-page spoof release Friday evening from two of his Detroit firms has the customary letterhead, style and contact information for Whitney Eichinger, director of communications. "Bedrock Acquires Historic Old Wayne County Building to House New State-of-the-Art Rocket Mortgage Headquarters," says the all-caps headline.

At the end is a Jetsons-like illustration (right) that should be a clue to be wary. Another tip-off should be a subhead above the text: "Iconic rocket to be constructed into famous steeple transforming Detroit’s skyline."

But at least one journalist, eager to tweet what seems like Big News, missed those hints -- or may be so accustomed to daring deals by Team Gilbert that he neglected to notice the handout's April 1 date:

That's from a Crain's Detroit Business writer who second-guesses himself five minutes later ("Okay maybe this is a joke?") and then shows bemused chagrin:

[Update: The editor and publisher of Crain's sounds unamused in a Saturday morning tweet. Without mentioning Gilbert's stunt, Ron Fournier posts, in part: "Fake news is  never funny. Hurts your credibility."] 

The tease reflects a prankish side of Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken. Last April 1 brought an elaborate scheme pretending he renamed the Compuware Building for an Australian fruit that starts with "Q." The sting featured a tweet by the boss, a slick illustration and a fake internal email thread "mistakenly" sent to Free Press reporter John Gallagher.

Gallagher figured it out and wrote: 

A source who knows Gilbert well says he loves April Fool's Day and playing pranks. The source recalled that last year he tricked his senior aides into thinking he had sold his company to legendary investor Warren Buffett. He even had Buffett on the phone playing along with the gag.ahe  extends a person 

This time, Gilbert tweets again:

His team's release includes this fanciful nonsense:

Renovations will begin soon to transform the building into something that speaks to the mission of Rocket Mortgage, as well as the City of Detroit as a whole.

Bedrock worked with Rossetti, the Detroit-based architecture firm, to redevelop the classic tower at the top of the historic landmark into a granite, stone and copper-like rocket, while still honoring the original design of the steeple. The launch of the rocket will appear to be lifting off into space, with a billowing cloud effect coming from the bottom of the tower. In keeping with Bedrock’s preservationist philosophy, portions of the original tower itself will be embedded into the structure.

The design was created to be a symbol of the city’s launch into the new era of prosperity, excitement and inclusion. 

Ah, you goofball Gilbert -- we hope you never change.