Miss Liz - Flo Ballard's Home

[marybrewster]

I can't wait for the comments to start.....

https://youtu.be/ae9kFZ_OKbs

[sup_fan]

well initial comments are 1) i'm not sure lemon yellow is her best color and 2) she needs a wig a bit fuller. she's a big girl, let's get some hair on her head. lol perhaps my Delcina Wilson can help

but as for the video, fascinating to see the inside of the house! would love a video tour of all 3 homes!! and so cool to see the cocktail bar in the basement.

[marybrewster]

well initial comments are 1) i'm not sure lemon yellow is her best color and 2) she needs a wig a bit fuller. she's a big girl, let's get some hair on her head. lol perhaps my Delcina Wilson can help

but as for the video, fascinating to see the inside of the house! would love a video tour of all 3 homes!! and so cool to see the cocktail bar in the basement.

Lol yaaaaas! She sure is working that BLurbarry scarf too. Yes, I said BLurbarry, lol.

[marybrewster]

Zillow says it was purchased in 2021 for 80k.

[RanRan79]

I wonder if this person is on the forum.

An interesting project. Hope the goal is accomplished.

So is this the person that threw the celebration in honor of Florence's birthday at the house?

[TheMotownManiac]

I think this is wonderful! Hopefully will get updates so we can see the entire house bye I just think it’s great that this is another example of a Supremes fan who found comfort and identity and strength in their appreciation of the group. I hope if she does make some sort of museum out of the house that there is interest in it. Most of Florence’s fans are either gone or on their way, but he knows? I think this is great!

[carlo]

It's a nice idea and I like that a fan now owns the home and wants to preserve and restore it, to its original form. I'm glad it was not purchased by someone who has no regard for Flo or the history of the home, as that could have resulted in the home being completely gutted and/or drastically changed. However, knowing how things generally go with this fan base, I have a hard time imagining she will be able to generate the significant amount of funds that she needs to restore the home. But who knows? Maybe some rich Supremes fan, a wealthy appreciator of old homes, or a sponsor of some sort will come along and want to contribute the hefty sum that is needed.

It was nice to see the inside of the house. I remember when this fundraising campaign first appeared online a few months ago, along with photos of the inside of the home. At that time, I had major doubts about all of it and whether the fundraiser was even legitimate. However, this is a well-produced video that was clearly not cheap to make. Some thought and effort went into it, which leads me to believe that she is genuinely passionate about restoring this home and not wanting to pull a fast one on the fans. Hopefully this video will attract some attention to her cause.

I still have doubts as to whether it could indeed become a thriving museum one day. I drove through Buena Vista 10 years ago. The surrounding neighborhood was not in the best of shape, at that time. It was sad to see the handfuls of dilapidated and abandoned homes.

Here is the link to her fundraiser, but it looks like it's not currently accepting donations at this moment:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/h...lard-s-house#/

I wonder what Mary would have thought about this?

[carlo]

Also, in the video, I loved her line, "...and with a bar like this, the possibilities are endless!"

[lakeside]

It's a nice idea and I like that a fan now owns the home and wants to preserve and restore it, to its original form. I'm glad it was not purchased by someone who has no regard for Flo or the history of the home, as that could have resulted in the home being completely gutted and/or drastically changed. However, knowing how things generally go with this fan base, I have a hard time imagining she will be able to generate the significant amount of funds that she needs to restore the home. But who knows? Maybe some rich Supremes fan, a wealthy appreciator of old homes, or a sponsor of some sort will come along and want to contribute the hefty sum that is needed.

It was nice to see the inside of the house. I remember when this fundraising campaign first appeared online a few months ago, along with photos of the inside of the home. At that time, I had major doubts about all of it and whether the fundraiser was even legitimate. However, this is a well-produced video that was clearly not cheap to make. Some thought and effort went into it, which leads me to believe that she is genuinely passionate about restoring this home and not wanting to pull a fast one on the fans. Hopefully this video will attract some attention to her cause.

I still have doubts as to whether it could indeed become a thriving museum one day. I drove through Buena Vista 10 years ago. The surrounding neighborhood was not in the best of shape, at that time. It was sad to see the handfuls of dilapidated and abandoned homes.

Here is the link to her fundraiser, but it looks like it's not currently accepting donations at this moment:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/h...lard-s-house#/

I wonder what Mary would have thought about this?

Keith and Evan of Bargain Block [[HGTV) are really doing a wonderful job of rehabbing
Detroit. Maybe they'll get to Flo's neighborhood and bring it back to life.

[carlo]

Keith and Evan of Bargain Block [[HGTV) are really doing a wonderful job of rehabbing
Detroit. Maybe they'll get to Flo's neighborhood and bring it back to life.

That sounds like a cool show. I'll have to check it out...thanks Lakeside!

[PeaceNHarmony]

Maintaining the Hitsville house has historic significance. As regards homes of individual group members I can't really get too excited about restoration as a public/private enterprise. If Jackie Kennedy Onassis' 1040 Park apartment was privately purchased and gutted by the new owner, as were Katharine Hepburn's Turtle Bay townhouse and Fenwick home, the Beale's Grey Gardens and too many others to mention I just don't see a truly historical need for this. Perhaps a city-wide program of simple and uniform plaques stating the name of the Motowner who resided in each house would be more rational.

[Roberta75]

I watch the shoe every week and there love of Detroit and love of each other [[They are an actual couple) is refreshing to see on National TV. A breath of fresh air in these ignorant and real dark GOP "Don't Say Gay" and "Woke" and denying a woam the "right to choose" days we are living through. I love Bargain Block.

[lakeside]

I watch the shoe every week and there love of Detroit and love of each other [[They are an actual couple) is refreshing to see on National TV. A breath of fresh air in these ignorant and real dark GOP "Don't Say Gay" and "Woke" and denying a woam the "right to choose" days we are living through. I love Bargain Block.

Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas Are Too Darn Busy to Actually Get Married | PEOPLE.com

Love Bargain Block, too. Evan and Keith are fun to watch. Evan has a Ph.D. in physics, and I believe Keith has an MBA, though is a trained artist. They're doing a wonderful
job and service for the city of Detroit, which they love.

[carlo]

Maintaining the Hitsville house has historic significance. As regards homes of individual group members I can't really get too excited about restoration as a public/private enterprise. If Jackie Kennedy Onassis' 1040 Park apartment was privately purchased and gutted by the new owner, as were Katharine Hepburn's Turtle Bay townhouse and Fenwick home, the Beale's Grey Gardens and too many others to mention I just don't see a truly historical need for this. Perhaps a city-wide program of simple and uniform plaques stating the name of the Motowner who resided in each house would be more rational.

Yes I agree that Flo's home is not historically significant in any way. Although at the end of the day, people in general are passionate about different things. I say if this woman is passionate about restoring Flo's home and wants to see who is willing to help, then all the power to her. There are some who devote their lives to things like restoring and repainting old Barbie dolls, which I'm sure some would find to be a waste of time. In this day in age of instant disposibility, I like the idea of restoring old things, whether that be a house, a doll, a gown, etc.

Maybe she could write-in to the producers of Bargain Block?

[kenneth]

Wow, I think that would be quite a job to restore that house. You can't just paint over cracks in walls or lay a new floor over a leaky foundation. But she is right, architecturally the house is a lovely style. My grandparents lived not far from Buena Vista on a street called Woodingham, and their home was very similar in terms of the fireplace, the leaded glass windows in the front, and they also had a built-in bar in the basement which looked very much like that one, even to the archway-cutout in the space near it.

I think another important consideration would be if the home is today still divided into two living spaces. When someone else posted photos of the home, we discussed how this was more of a "flat" in that it had two individual homes, one upstairs and one down. You can see there are still two separate street addresses on either side of the front door. This was fairly common to homes built in Detroit in the 30s and 40s. I'm sure today it's owned by just one person, and maybe that's how it always was, I wouldn't know. But I think in today's market, it would be nearly impossible to sell if it was still a subdivided property with two living spaces in it; rather, it'd probably cost more money but be more worth it in the long run to convert it into one living space, getting rid of the upstairs kitchen and adding another bedroom and bath, possibly.

I think it's quite a task but so interesting to find out someone is dedicated to the property in this way.

Like Carlo, I too love to restore and repurpose old items, whether it be furniture, a rug, an old toy, whatever. I've been blessed [[?) to come from a family of pack rats, and I'm still coming across things that belonged to my parents which are rare, unique and quite beautiful even if they require major renovations and restoration!

[sup_fan]

Keith and Evan of Bargain Block [[HGTV) are really doing a wonderful job of rehabbing
Detroit. Maybe they'll get to Flo's neighborhood and bring it back to life.

we should reach out to the producers. this could be a great detroit-specific theme for an episode. if they could get oks from Universal to use group images and some of the music.

[sup_fan]

Wow, I think that would be quite a job to restore that house. You can't just paint over cracks in walls or lay a new floor over a leaky foundation. But she is right, architecturally the house is a lovely style. My grandparents lived not far from Buena Vista on a street called Woodingham, and their home was very similar in terms of the fireplace, the leaded glass windows in the front, and they also had a built-in bar in the basement which looked very much like that one, even to the archway-cutout in the space near it.

I think another important consideration would be if the home is today still divided into two living spaces. When someone else posted photos of the home, we discussed how this was more of a "flat" in that it had two individual homes, one upstairs and one down. You can see there are still two separate street addresses on either side of the front door. This was fairly common to homes built in Detroit in the 30s and 40s. I'm sure today it's owned by just one person, and maybe that's how it always was, I wouldn't know. But I think in today's market, it would be nearly impossible to sell if it was still a subdivided property with two living spaces in it; rather, it'd probably cost more money but be more worth it in the long run to convert it into one living space, getting rid of the upstairs kitchen and adding another bedroom and bath, possibly.

I think it's quite a task but so interesting to find out someone is dedicated to the property in this way.

Like Carlo, I too love to restore and repurpose old items, whether it be furniture, a rug, an old toy, whatever. I've been blessed [[?) to come from a family of pack rats, and I'm still coming across things that belonged to my parents which are rare, unique and quite beautiful even if they require major renovations and restoration!

now that could be an interesting tv show. just like the redid the Brady Bunch house on HGTV, they could find homes with pop culture interest, work with current home owners to do renovation projects. would they be working to restore the house as a museum - of course not. but working with the owner to do smart updates and renovations to acknowledge the house's history and yet still make it livable and relevant for today

[Roberta75]

[QUOTE=lakeside;713705]Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas Are Too Darn Busy to Actually Get Married | PEOPLE.com

Love Bargain Block, too. Evan and Keith are fun to watch. Evan has a Ph.D. in physics, and I believe Keith has an MBA, though is a trained artist. They're doing a wonderful
job and service for the city of Detroit, which they love.
[/QUOTE

The entire show is just so feelgood. The lady realtor is also lovely and Evan and Keith have a real close relationship with her. I never miss it on Wednesday nights.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Yes I agree that Flo's home is not historically significant in any way. Although at the end of the day, people in general are passionate about different things. I say if this woman is passionate about restoring Flo's home and wants to see who is willing to help, then all the power to her. There are some who devote their lives to things like restoring and repainting old Barbie dolls, which I'm sure some would find to be a waste of time. In this day in age of instant disposibility, I like the idea of restoring old things, whether that be a house, a doll, a gown, etc.

Maybe she could write-in to the producers of Bargain Block?

Hi, Carlo! There are lots of tangents that can be gotten into regarding this issue. I am in agreement with you as regards preservation. I've always loved the 'Detroit Tudor Vernacular' [[my phrase) of the homes in question, and the details [[stained glass, mullioned windows, etc) are certainly worth preserving. These homes indeed look like wonderful, efficient places to raise a family. I get turned off from the Flo-glomming, but that's just me. If Miss Liz wishes to recreate the home as much as possible to the pre-foreclosure state of Florence's ownership, good for her and I hope it works out. [[Aside: I live in The New Jersey of the USA, and there was a similarly kinda-sorta historic house I would have loved to have bought, so I get it ...) As Kenneth says, there's lots of work that the home needs done to bring it up to date functionally: insulation, lead paint remediation, you name it. So for me it would be up to individual buyers to make that commitment, and hopefully get a restoration tv show involved. Personally I would not donate to the project as requested by Ms. Liz, but if the plaque idea or something similar comes to pass, I'm on board. For me, the homes of Martha, Smokey, Diana, and many more are also worthy! I hope you are having a good summer!

[marybrewster]

Not to mention if it is to be a museum, it needs to be zoned as commercial property. Is there adequate parking? Is it handicapped accessible? There's a lot more than just slapping some paint on the walls and a commissioning a mural in the basement.

[carlo]

So for me it would be up to individual buyers to make that commitment, and hopefully get a restoration tv show involved. Personally I would not donate to the project as requested by Ms. Liz, but if the plaque idea or something similar comes to pass, I'm on board.

Agreed It would at least be a different situation if she had already rezoned this home into a public space of some sort [Mary Brewster also mentions this above]. It's a big ask, to ask for donations toward fixing a private residence that she owns. What if she only ends up raising $10K or less, and then she ends up selling the home because the repairs are too much of a financial burden? Or makes the repairs and decides not to make it into a museum? At the very least, if you want someone to donate, there needs to be an immediate reward/incentive, and not the future promise of getting a tour of the home, which may never happen. I raised some of these points in a previous thread about this fundraiser. I would give $100, if the reward would mean getting a CD containing Peter Benjaminson's unreleased full audio interview with Flo. Now there's an idea.

I still do love her passion though, in wanting to restore this house. I like to believe she is well-intentioned and that her heart is in the right place. Hopefully she can fulfill her dream with this house. Altough asking for donations is likely not the best route for that. It should go without saying, that when a person buys a home, you need to book an inspection, and be willing and able to take on the financial responsibility of whatever is needed to repair it.

For me, I would much rather donate to something like securing a grave marker for Sandra Tilley of the Vandellas or something else that more directly serves the purpose of keeping one's memory alive.

[carlo]

The entire show is just so feelgood. The lady realtor is also lovely and Evan and Keith have a real close relationship with her. I never miss it on Wednesday nights.

I just started watching the show last night and I love it. These guys do incredible work. Thanks again Roberta and Lakeside for mentioning it!

[kenneth]

Agreed It would at least be a different situation if she had already rezoned this home into a public space of some sort [Mary Brewster also mentions this above]. It's a big ask, to ask for donations toward fixing a private residence that she owns. What if she only ends up raising $10K or less, and then she ends up selling the home because the repairs are too much of a financial burden? Or makes the repairs and decides not to make it into a museum? At the very least, if you want someone to donate, there needs to be an immediate reward/incentive, and not the future promise of getting a tour of the home, which may never happen. I raised some of these points in a previous thread about this fundraiser.

It can be a tender and tricky proposition. The immediate knee-jerk reaction today to personal financial crises and such to throw up a GoFundMe page and start asking for donations is a disturbing trend, IMHO. I received a few requests from friends and acquaintances which were hard to ignore but difficult to contribute towards if it was clear to me from knowing them that they had the means to pay for what they were raising money to pay for.

But I agree with Carlo. Even with legitimate well-established charities, you have to shop around before making large donations. There are people who don't donate to Salvation Army because they feel even the SA doesn't make good use of their donations. Some of the charities which have huge publicity generating outreach programs, such as the United Way and Catholic Charities back in the day, have been accused of being notoriously anti-LGBTQ in their choices of where their money is spent.

I would say, a donation here should just be considered a gift, given in the belief that the donor is not expecting anything in return.

[marybrewster]

It can be a tender and tricky proposition. The immediate knee-jerk reaction today to personal financial crises and such to throw up a GoFundMe page and start asking for donations is a disturbing trend, IMHO. I received a few requests from friends and acquaintances which were hard to ignore but difficult to contribute towards. I had a former client, a still young lady, who was battling cancer. When her health was rapidly waning, to my sorrow as well as her family's, her children put up a GoFundMe page to seek alternative treatments for her.

Now that might seem perfectly reasonable, and in many cases would be, but in this lady's case she was not without means; in fact, she had recently sold some real property worth over $1M. I chose not to donate because I felt the family already had the resources. I still feel somewhat guilty about my decision but I do think it was the right one nonetheless.

But I agree with Carlo. Even with legitimate well-established charities, you have to shop around before making large donations. There are people who don't donate to Salvation Army because they feel even the SA doesn't make good use of their donations. Some of the charities which have huge publicity generating outreach programs, such as the United Way and Catholic Charities back in the day, have been accused of being notoriously anti-LGBTQ in their choices of where their money is spent.

I would say, a donation here should just be considered a gift, given in the belief that the donor is not expecting anything in return.

Hi Kenneth;

I've built a career on fundraising, and the advent of Go Fund Me [[and similar sites) have taken the FUN out of fundraising. These days, a GFM will be created for just about every reason. Like you, I weed through them as I scratch my wig for the majority of them.

[Circa 1824]

Why in God’s name would someone buy a house, not have the money to fix it up, and expect other people to pay for it? Totally without shame….

Hope is dwindling for mankind.

[kenneth]

Hi Kenneth;

I've built a career on fundraising, and the advent of Go Fund Me [[and similar sites) have taken the FUN out of fundraising. These days, a GFM will be created for just about every reason. Like you, I weed through them as I scratch my wig for the majority of them.

I had actually mentioned a specific example but then deleted it because I still feel bad about it. But I had a friend who had inoperable cancer and a GFM page was posted to seek funds to allow the friend to seek some alternative remedies. I believe it was the children of my friend who put the page up, and I honestly don't know if my friend was even aware of it. But the family had just sold a home worth quite a bit of money, and while certainly the need for treatment was there, I didn't feel there was a financial need.

It was a tough decision, and I hope my friend's family doesn't just remember me for not contributing, but it just didn't seem justified to me financially.

[Spreadinglove21]

Why in God’s name would someone buy a house, not have the money to fix it up, and expect other people to pay for it? Totally without shame….

Hope is dwindling for mankind.

I've looked at her youtube page and not much content on it, but there are a couple of videos asking for money. Now the production values on the Flo home video are of better quality than the ones from pre COVID. But I'm skeptical about this on many levels.

Also, is there really much of an audience to visit Flo's home transformed into a museum? If turned into a museum, given that some of Flo's fans are really into her being a victim, to please such fans, the museum better have a room set aside stating this is where Flo went to cry or vent her frustration and anger whenever Diane, or Berry was mean to her, or Mary was two faced to her, or Tommy mistreated her, or her lawyers cheated her.

[marybrewster]

I think it might serve a purpose as an event space; designed for meetings or small receptions. The Flo Ballard tie in might add some significance for those in Detroit.

Perhaps the reality is a tasteful plaque could be affixed to the front as a historical point of interest. Maybe one like in Tony Turner's former home when Flo rearranged the furniture.

One question remains: what's become of Mary and Diana's houses on the same block?

[sup_fan]

my thought is the best option for the house is to remain a private home. perhaps it could be declared a Historical Location or monument or whatever designation. that would at least prevent some degree of atrocities. but who would rent some random event space out in the middle of this residential area? who would trek out to a tiny museum on a relatively obscure recording artist? what would be on display there and what exhibits?

if it was renovated back into it's former glory [[along with being updated for contemporary use) AND it's known as "a home of a former Supreme" i would imagine it would at least be one of the higher priced homes in the area. the status of being a former star's home

[marybrewster]

Another thought would be a VBRO or AIRBNB. There's plenty of queens on this board that would gag at the chance to sleep in the bedroom where the twins were conceived.

[sup_fan]

Another thought would be a VBRO or AIRBNB. There's plenty of queens on this board that would gag at the chance to sleep in the bedroom where the twins were conceived.

hahaha - we could go Miss Mary and help this lady with her blond wig, yellow dress and bluberry accessories lol

[marybrewster]

hahaha - we could go Miss Mary and help this lady with her blond wig, yellow dress and bluberry accessories lol

We need to do something, honey!

Now I know I jest quite often, but doesn't Miss Liz give you Maxine Ballard vibes?