HBO's 'In with the Old' features native Detroiter rehabbing Virginia Park home

Oftentimes, Detroit is given a bad rap. Characterized by blight, Detroit is attempting to revive the city by transforming abandoned structures and giving them a new purpose. Soon, a television series dedicated to doing exactly that all across the country is highlighting a project in Detroit.

“In with the Old,” a series streaming on HBO Max and the Magnolia Network, recently announced the continuation of the show, with efforts being focused on Detroit in an upcoming episode.

According to a news release, a new episode will feature Ann Arbor resident, Darius Smith, who grew up in Detroit, and his business partner, Ron Castellano, who resides in both New York and Detroit, as they work to transform a home near the Herman Kiefer Health Complex in the Virginia Park neighborhood.

Smith, who appeared on the series for an earlier episode, said he was offered another after the previous one was successful, leading to his partnership with Castellano.

"Ron and I had talked and I reached out to him and let him know about the first episode and he looked at it, liked it, and we decided to work together on a property in Virginia Park as well that Ron owned," said Smith. "So we picked one, it’s on Pingree."

The project, taking place on Pingree St., began around two months ago, and is expected to be complete during the second week of September. Furthermore, Smith said they are currently in the process of filming and the episode is expected to be released later this fall.

Smith appeared in an earlier season after purchasing his grandma's home in the Virginia Park neighborhood. He hoped to restore it and give the house to his daughter, and Chip and Joanna Gaines heard about his story and wanted it featured on the show.

According to the release, “Smith has a passion for restoring Detroit homes and is driven by memories of his grandfather who was murdered in the 1980s for standing up to crime and drugs plaguing his neighborhood at the time.” He also hopes to create generational wealth for his daughter in the process.

“In with the Old” takes viewers across the country as people work to transform blighted structures and repurpose them. Designers and builders also work to preserve the historical integrity of the locations. According to a news release, the episode on surrounding homes near the health complex “focuses on bridging the gap between developers and community.”

Castellano owns the Herman Kiefer Health Complex as well as countless homes in surrounding neighborhoods. He said the home on Pingree featured in the upcoming episode will be listed for sale once complete, as most of his houses are.

“These are pretty rough houses. At the time, no one wanted them, and they couldn’t sell them, they tried many times, and instead of tearing them down I’ve taken care of them over the years, and now it's time to put them back in service," he said.

The Herman Kiefer Hospital, which opened in 1911, was dedicated as an infectious disease hospital to fight off illnesses such as smallpox, measles and tuberculosis. According to Historic Detroit, the hospital had six pavilions by 1928, allowing staff to house more than 1,200 patients at a time.

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By the late 1970s, the hospital shifted its focus toward a general clinic and drug treatment center, and later housed the city health department before being closed. In 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services relocated to Kiefer, where the complex was shut down and listed for sale in 2013 after an investigation into widespread misuse of funds.

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Smith hopes for a continued partnership with Castellano and would like to see an ongoing television series following the restorations. “It’s important for us to be part of something bigger than ourselves," Smith said. "This is about more than just remodeling; it's about creating something beautiful out of what was once forgotten.”

“My goal is to help bring back some life into a place that has been neglected for so long,” Castellano said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: HBO's 'In with the Old' to feature home in Detroit's Virginia Park