Patti Smith’s Former Detroit House Has a Secret Passageway to a Wine Cellar

Here’s your chance to own a piece of rock n’ rock real estate history. The Michigan home of iconic singer/author Patti Smith has officially hit the market, and the three-bed, one-and-a-half bath Tudor beauty is straight out of a fairy tale. But here’s a unique twist: the realtor is her son, Jackson Smith.

Located in St. Clair Shores, the 2116-square-foot brick home, which is listed at $499,000, sits on the canal of Lake St. Clair. Fully restored to its original charm, the entryway features a turret and peaked wooden door. Inside, the home has stunning marble and granite floors and coffered ceilings. Restored vintage light fixtures illuminate the house, while a beautiful rooftop terrance provides stunning views of Lake St. Clair. 

There’s even a secret passageway tucked behind a bookcase that leads to a spacious  wine cellar thought to be used by rum runners during prohibition. 

I had always heard stories of rum running attached to that house,” Jackson Smith told The Detroit News. “When my dad bought the house in 1980, he said the house was built in 1918 which never made total sense to me at the time because … why would you have put a secret room in before prohibition? But I didn’t realize until today that Michigan had state prohibition starting in 1917.” 

Patti and her husband, Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5, purchased the home in 1980, and she lived there until after his death in 1994. According to Jackson Smith, the newer owners really preserved the unique qualities of his childhood home.

“They didn’t change the character of the home, which is why it’s really special,” he continued. “When I walk in there, it still looks like the same house I grew up in but everything has been lovingly cared for. The house has the same life to it that I remember as a kid.”

The property is where famed photographers Annie Leibovitz and Steven Sebring shot iconic images of Smith, as well as where Sebring shot parts of his 2008 Patti Smith documentary “Dream of Life.” 

Patti lovingly looked back on her time living in the home in her 2015 memoir “M Train,” complete with personal photographs of their time in the home. If you live in Michigan, you may want to pop by, since the May 4th open house is hosted by none other than Jackson Smith himself.