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Jack White bought George Nelson’s Kalamazoo midcentury time capsule

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The White Stripes rocker paid $60K above the asking price

Exterior shot of a steel-framed box with wall of windows and a roof overhang.
The Kirkpatrick House includes most of its original furniture.
Photography by Paul Barbera

When this incredibly restored home by George Nelson first came on the market in Kalamazoo, Michigan last summer, we were awed by its beauty and more than a little envious about its eventual owner—especially since the home was offered at a screaming deal of $450,000.

Now we’ve come to learn that the lucky owner of the 1958-built house is none other than Jack White, rock musician extraordinaire, formerly of the White Stripes, and a native of Detroit.

According to an article in a recent issue of The New Yorker, White bought the home above asking for $510,000—sight-unseen. (We like to think he first peeped the photos on Curbed.) He currently lives in Nashville, where his label Third Man Records is based, and plans to use the 3,500-square-foot Kirkpatrick House as an occasional writing retreat.

As a former upholsterer’s apprentice, White is something of a furniture and design enthusiast and sees himself as a “custodian” of the property rather than its owner, according to the article.

“I’m a believer in nobody owns anything,” he said. “If you could take care of it and pass it along, it’s good.”

The sale of the home included most of the original Herman Miller furniture, which presumably White is going to preserve. The rocker recently opened Third Man’s first physical location in Detroit, a vinyl pressing plant.

Via: Realtor, The New Yorker