Palmer Woods is getting its fair share of attention these day.
Recently Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon focused quite a bit of attention on the neighborhood in Northwest Detroit when he tried to diss Mike Duggan, a possible rival in the upcoming mayoral race, by suggesting Dugan wasn't experiencing the real Detroit because he was living in upscale Palmer Woods.
Now Wall Street Journal reporter Christina Roberts has penned a flattering piece with the headline "Detroit Classics, Priced to Move."
She writes:
Palmer Woods homes are a window into the wealth and artistic expression that flowed from Detroit's breakneck expansion in the early 20th century and earned the city the nickname "Paris of the Midwest." They feature elevators and grand ballrooms, large mahogany-paneled music rooms and marble crafted by artisans brought in from Italy. There are libraries with moving walls (Prohibition-era wet bars concealed behind them) and colorful tile work by celebrated potters, including Detroit's own Pewabic Pottery.
Later she writes:
One property now on the market is a 10,000-square-foot mansion built in 1922 by Charles Van Dusen, then president of S.S. Kresge Co., precursor to Kmart Corp. The house has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a walnut-paneled entrance hall, carved marble fireplace, walk-in vaults and a ballroom on the third floor. It's listed at just under $700,000.
