Estate sale planned for Berry Gordy's 'Motown Mansion'

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DETROIT (AP) - The public will be able to celebrate Motown's history in Detroit with an estate sale and live global auction.

The "Motown Mansion" of Detroit will be cleared of its contents in early October. The home was once owned by Berry Gordy Jr., founder of Motown Records, MLive reported.

Gordy lived in the 10,500-square-foot house from 1967-1969 as Motown stars The Supremes, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder solidified themselves in American musical history.

Furniture and memorabilia from that era will be sold to the public, some at a typical three-day estate sale and some at a live global auction event that could feature a visit from Motown stars.

"We want to have this amazing event," said Aaron Siepierski, owner of Aaron's Estate Sales of Birmingham.

Siepierski is working with the home's longtime owner Cynthia Reaves, who bought the home from Gordy in 2002. Reaves sold the home earlier this month, setting a record for Boston-Edison district home prices.

Some sale items will include cookware, furniture and regular household items. But because of the house's long history, some items can have a deep history behind them.

Items include Gordy's Steinway piano, a medallion found on the wall and original pressings of Motown singles.

Siepierski said that some of the personal property that came with the house also belonged to Diana Ross.

"As we got into the items and history ... we thought, `We can bring this to a worldwide marketplace,"' Siepierski said.

Reaves plans to have a nonprofit agency at the sale to charge a nominal admission. She said she wants the sale to feel like an event in the neighborhood that celebrates its connections to each home.

"There's going to be something for everybody," Siepierski said. "Things will be affordable through a full price range."

The dates for the sale will be finalized by the second week of September.
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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press:MLive.com

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