Farewell to the Rocket Residence, Detroit’s fake architectural marvel

Rocket Residence

• Rocket Residence site

Location: Hart Plaza, Detroit

Architecture: Faux-arts

History: Constructed by Rocket Companies in 2024 ahead of the NFL draft.

Show and tell: What building (real or fake) has special significance to you and why? Email aaron@outliermedia.org with your favorite, and we’ll dig into its history.

Hundreds of thousands got to experience the beauty of Detroit and its architecture downtown during the NFL draft this past weekend. Sports fans also got to see and appreciate the historic Rocket Residence — all of them likely for the first and last time.

The Rocket Residence, officially called 257 Dream Drive by Rocket Mortgage® , is named after developer Dan Gilbert’s lending firm, which sponsored the big event. It constructed the faux arts-style home as one of several “Instagrammable activations” for the draft, according to a news release. It’s yet to be determined how much the sponsorship cost, or if Rocket Residence can draft off of Gilbert’s multimillion-dollar tax breaks for other developments.

The home eventually came to be known (at least on our newsroom’s message board) as “one of the city’s oldest fake homes” built by “Robert Rocket Sr. himself.” Notable features include plastic accents and a two-dimensional Mansard roof.

It sat by Hart Plaza on “Dream Drive,” where the sidewalks are mostly intact , in the shadow of the soon-to-be-emptied Renaissance Center . General Motors employees will move to the new Hudson’s Detroit , also owned by Gilbert, when it opens.

Unfortunately, the home wasn’t built to last. It’s expected to be dismantled mere days after the draft. So much for our dream home.

Farewell to the Rocket Residence, Detroit’s fake architectural marvel · Outlier Media