Some billionaires purchase islands.
Dan Gilbert bought downtown Detroit.
Or at least that’s how it felt in the 2010s, when buildings that had been dark for decades shone again – brick by brick, floor by floor – under the blinding floodlight of Gilbert’s unstoppable ambition.
Where others saw rust, debt, and decay, he saw a real estate sandbox.
A puzzle to solve.
A dare.
And like any man looking to prove something – maybe to the world, maybe to himself – he poured billions into the city that built him – turning dilapidated buildings into tech hubs, coffee shops, casinos, and coworking spaces.
Some called it revitalization.
Some called it gentrification.
But no one could deny the influence.
It worked.
In short: cities move when Dan Gilbert gets an idea.
