Kid Rock May Be Moving On Up To Detroit Mayor's Neighborhood

By Christy Strawser 
CBS Detroit Managing Editor
DETROIT (CBS Detroit) It's the kind of neighborhood where neighbors bring over a casserole when they hear you're under the weather.

So, what kind of casserole do you bring Detroit's biggest rock star?

"I don't know, I'll probably bring him chocolate chip cookies," said Diane Linn, laughing.

Linn lives near the famed Manoogian Mansion and the gracious colonial home allegedly just purchased by Kid Rock. Several reported that Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, visited the historic neighborhood a few days ago and introduced himself to the neighbors.

The rocker known for his heavy Detroit promotion previously lived in the suburbs and his representatives haven't responded to requests for comment. The Detroit house wasn't publicly listed for sale, neighbors said, but the former owners moved away after many years there.

"I didn't meet him, but I heard he was here visiting," Linn said. "We're looking forward to having him in the neighborhood."

The neighborhood is called Berry's Subdivision and it's across Jefferson from Indian Village. Rock's new home is across the street from the the Detroit Yacht Club, right on the Detroit River.

There are only seven homes on Dwight Street, all built between 1916 and the mid-1920's. The Manoogian Mansion, historic home of the Detroit mayor, is one of them.

"His (Kid Rock's) is right on the river, it's the Mt. Vernon style with very simple white columns, no capitals or pediments or anything," Linn said.

Many remember the Manoogian as the scene of the alleged stripper party that started the case that led to the downfall of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The Manoogian party has never been proven, but Kilpatrick's attempt to fire officers for refusing to stop looking into it and his affair with staffer Christine Beatty -- and then covering up the firings with perjury -- led to his eventual downfall.

Linn and her attorney husband don't know anything about that. "We were out of town that weekend," she said. "We had all the national newspapers here, the FBI, the state police, but we were away that weekend. The one thing I must say about Kwame, we can hear a little bit of music when they have parties at the mayor's, and when Kwame was there he had really nice music, nice jazz."

What's it like to live in one of Detroit's most historic neighborhoods?

"We've been here almost 30 years and it's wonderful," Linn said. "I was describing it as kind of an old-fashioned neighborhood, we know everyone, it's racially integrated, everyone walks their dog, it's safe, everybody knows each other.

"It's just such a nice bunch of people, it's all different kinds of people, different socio-economic groups, it's just neighbors."