Detroit’s iconic “Bottle House” has hit the market for the first time in more than 70 years after undergoing a four-year renovation that has returned the sparkling aura to its original glory, while transforming the rest of the property into a bright, modern retreat.
The extraordinary $350,000 two-bedroom, one-bathroom home in Hazel Park, MI, was built in 1937 by its original owner, who inlaid concrete walls with 20,000 blue and green bottle ends covered in solid ornaments.
But after its most recent owner Cline A family betrayal, the house was derelict, with a sagging porch that once hid an amazing bottle ornament, which slowly became covered in layers of dust and grime.
The Clines had owned the house for nearly 70 years when the family of the late owner decided it was time to sell it to someone who would bring it back to life.
They had received several offers over the years from several developers who wanted to demolish the bottle house and replace it with two houses.
But the Kline family had a different future in mind for their beloved home. While exploring his options, the grandson did a Google search for cash home buyers in the area and found HouseFluffCash.com, a website run by a local home flipping and development specialist. Carl Schiller.
It didn’t take Schiller long to realize that he was being offered the chance of a lifetime to restore a historic local treasure.
While Schiller wouldn’t disclose the price the Kleins paid for the property, which was “out of respect” for the family, he did share that the 1,225-square-foot home cost about $200,000 to restore and took four years to complete.
“The numbers are extraordinary,” Schiller says. “It was not a business process, but a labor of love.”
As Schiller dug through the wreckage, he also dug into the history of the house.
It was built Umar Rizwho worked at the main Dodge plant. He began construction in 1935 and decided to build his house out of concrete blocks because the woodworkers were on strike, making it difficult to obtain building materials.
Reese poured his concrete blocks and, inspired by a child’s kaleidoscope, decided to put bottle caps in the wet cement blocks to stop and add bright colors.
First, he dug out the basement and lined the walls with bottle blocks. He then moved into the lower level as he built the house above him.
Word of his unique plan quickly spread, and kids in the neighborhood started bringing him bottles.
Neighbors told Schiller that they are still finding colorful broken bottle glass when they dig in their gardens, because Reese only used bottles and instead randomly distributed shards of glass left over in other people’s yards.
When Schiller started work on the house in 2021, “it was rough,” to say the least.
Slowly and methodically, he peeled back the layers, being careful not to collapse anything important. For example, after removing the drywall in the dining room, he found paneling, which had beadboard underneath, and under that, cement bricks inserted with cut grout. It was unlike anything he had ever seen.
The ceilings were also unusually low. Some speed revealed that the roof was damaged and leaking. Over the years, rather than repairing roofs, dropped roof layers were added as needed.
Schiller was disappointed that there were not more period details left to salvage, but he was eventually able to implement some of the works.
This includes commissioning the Detroit Wallpaper Company to create wallpaper from a photo of a bottle wall that ran in the Detroit Free Press. She used wallpaper on kitchen wall dividers and a hidden fabric door to bring the feeling of exterior walls indoors.
He replaced the curling linoleum and loose tiles on the floor with white oak wood.
The original bathroom and kitchen features were changed at different times and to different styles and quality levels, so it was out with the old and in with the new.
The open kitchen now has quartz countertops, a stainless steel refrigerator with French doors, and a bathroom with custom tile and a walk-in shower.
Outside, the entire structure had to be stabilized, the sagging aluminum porch removed, and a modern entry added in its place. A stylish sconce illuminates the front door at night, and new windows and skylights illuminate the dark interior by day.
The combined process of making the house safe and livable again forced Schiller to take extra time to raise the funds needed to complete the restoration. While he worked on other projects, he would stop on his way home from work or work and clean the end of each bottle with a wire brush to restore its shiny color.
Last spring, Schiller was able to go full steam ahead and get the home ready for just the right buyer, which, he predicts, can come in many shapes and sizes.
It could be someone “who is looking for a short-term rental,” he says. “It’s turnkey, it has great freeway access, and it’s easy to get to any part of Detroit. It already has an inherent draw, and there aren’t any hotels in the area, but there’s a lot of nightlife.”
He added that the nearby neighborhoods of Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Hazel Park are also being redeveloped.
Schiller notes that the home is also ideal for a buyer who wants to splurge, something different from the typical ’50s-style house or bungalow.
There is nothing special about this home in any way, shape or form. Its distinctive features include a vaulted staircase, a full basement with laundry room, plenty of storage space, and additional space for a cozy guest room, game room, or home theater.
Somewhere down the line, a two-car garage was added to the back of the house and a bonus room was added. They can be made for a private office or studio. Schiller says he painted the garage door and the spare room “Nakszima Blue” to tie in with the blue bottles in the concrete block walls.
Now that it’s over, Schiller looks at him and smiles.
“I am very blessed and happy to be a part of this story,” he says. “It’s a landmark, unique to metro Detroit. We celebrate our history here — classic cars, classic buildings, nostalgia, etc.”