It has recently come to my attention that what I always referred to the "Castle House" located at 4600 Moran Street in Detroit has been demolished (taking place in July 2025). I've been by it several times over the years and would stop by there on abandoned tours (when I used to give them) if there was interest. I never held high hopes of this house being renovated, mainly because of it's location. If it was located in Brush Park, it may have had a comeback. I'm not surprised it was demolished, even though the timing is interesting, since there is not a lot of renovation activity in this neighborhood. I wonder why they ("they" being the Land Bank Authority, since it was owned by them) decided now was it's time. You can learn more about the house's history here.
I went through my photos to see when I had last photographed the house. It was an exterior shot taken on October 26, 2022 (on the right).
But, before my last shot, I had visited once where I went inside the house. Mind you, this house was not in good condition. The exterior stairs leading to the second floor apartment were quite rickety (this is when you send up a prayer that they don't give out when you are on them!). The house was split into two flats, upstairs and downstairs. The upstairs flat, while not the most photogenic based on its condition, there were some details that were photo-worthy.
The living room had a record player with some 8-track tapes. I honestly don't remember when I had seen an 8-track tape! I had fortunately skipped over that era and right into cassette tapes.
The couch had snow on it from the missing windows.
Here is one photo from the bedroom with a drawing of Jesus, some letters, a crutch and some peeling wallpaper.
And one from the bathroom with what was someone's toiletries at one time (and a brush).
It was still interesting to go inside and see what it looked like, even though it was well past it's prime. It gave me a sense of an archeologist investigating a past civilization's living spaces and tools. To me, there is always a bit of sadness to see a building I have photographed to be no more. Did you ever see or photograph this house before its demise?
Lastly are the details in the kitchen, where there was still food left behind (along with dishes, a spice rack and even an old telephone!).
