Spaulding Court rehab brings new residents to North Corktown

Work on the rehab of Spaulding Court is starting to gain traction as more units in the apartment building in North Corktown come online and more people take residence there.

So far five of the complex's 20 units are renovated and occupied. About a dozen people live in what was once such a stereotypical piece of Detroit blight that it shared the stage with the Michigan Central Stadium in an Eminem video. Today those people are creating a grass roots community that is breathing new life into the complex's two structures of stone row houses.

The Friends of Spaulding Court, the organization behind the renovation, is now trying to raise funds to finish the rehab of a few more units this year. "If we can get five done by summertime that would exceed our expectations," says Jon Koller, president of the Friends of Spaulding Court.

The immediate goal is to rehab one vacant and one occupied unit while a third unit waits in the wings. Residential units are the priority but the Friends of Spaulding Court sees potential for small scale commercial or community space in the future.

"We're trying to get it done with rough finishes and have it insulated and warm before Thanksgiving," Koller says.

For information on the project, click here.

Source: Jon Koller, president of the Friends of Spaulding Court
Writer: Jon Zemke

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