Famous people's places / Detroit – Virginia Park
Aretha Franklin's Childhood Home
Closed – archive entry
Detroit's Virginia Park house where the Reverend C. L. Franklin's family, including Aretha Franklin, lived from the late 1940s; still a private home.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Built in 1922 for Julius and Minnie Porath, this colonial house with Tudor touches in Detroit's Virginia Park neighborhood became the home of the Reverend C. L. Franklin, one of the most influential Black preachers in America and a leader in the civil rights movement, and his family. His daughter Aretha Franklin lived here from about age five until she left home around 1960, growing up alongside her sisters Erma and Carolyn, who also became singers, while her father's celebrated sermons and Aretha's early gospel singing filled the house with music. Family friends including Nat King Cole and Martin Luther King Jr. were reported guests here during those years. The house remains a private residence; it drew fresh attention in recent years as preservationists and fans worked to save it from foreclosure and decay.
- Built in 1922 for Julius and Minnie Porath
- Home of the Reverend C. L. Franklin and his family
- Aretha Franklin grew up here from about age five
- Guests reportedly included Nat King Cole and Martin Luther King Jr.
- Still a private residence; view from the street only
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 1
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Aretha Franklin 1942–2018 · singer, songwriter, pianist
Lived here
The 1916 house in the Virginia Park area where she lived from about age five to 18; Nat King Cole and Martin Luther King Jr. visited. Private residence, view from the street only.
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
We have no published upcoming events linked to this place yet. That does not mean the venue has no events; check its official calendar too.
Source and former website ↗