Sneak a Peek Inside Aretha Franklin's Empty Detroit Mansion

Aretha Franklin was born in an old shack in Memphis, Tennessee — but before she died on Aug. 16, 2018, she ended up owning several beautiful homes.

One of them, which you can view below, is located at 18261 Hamilton Road in Detroit. Some people say it's abandoned, or just plain empty. Either way, it does not yet have a resident — but it is privately owned, so keep that in mind in case you desire to seek it out.

The mansion was first purchased for a mere $300,000 in October 2018, shortly after Franklin's death.

Built in 1927-29, the home was once a three-floor grand mansion spanning 6,000 square feet, with a three-car garage and 9-foot ceilings. Now, the grounds look similar to the mansion grounds of Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, but current restoration is changing all that.

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Franklin bought the house in 1993. You can't get to it, since the road is blocked off by a gate, but you can see the house from the gate. It's located on a private road north of the Detroit Golf Club, near the seventh hole of the golf course.

According to Abandoned Central, the house was listed in 2022 for $1.2 million and lowered to just under $1 million. It was sold in summer 2023. Of all the beautiful furnishings that Franklin left behind, including her famous rose-red bathtub, nothing remains.

Before the mansion was sold, some footage was shot so you could see what it looked like before too much restoration was done. Take a look in the photo gallery below.