Detroit Free Press

Sisters of Mercy will host huge estate sale

Farmington Hills convent liquidatin­g possession­s

- Slone Terranella Contact Slone Terranella: STerranell­a@freepress.com and follow her on Twitter @SloneTerra­nella.

It’s time to bring your trucks and UHauls. A Farmington Hills convent is having a huge estate sale this week, meaning major discounts on household appliances, furniture and technology.

The Sisters of Mercy congregati­on, located at 29000 W. 11 Mile Road, will be liquidatin­g its remaining items, and the structure may be redevelope­d into a senior living community. Edward Rose &

Sons, a property management company, is looking to purchase the site.

During a Sept. 28 city council meeting, Sister Mary Ellen Howard from Sisters of Mercy said the Catholic group no longer needs the property. There are fewer than 40 sisters living on the site, and the remaining residents average 78 years old, she said.

“We can no longer manage it, nor can we afford it,” Howard said during the meeting.

According to the Sisters of Mercy, many of the sisters have already been moved to senior care centers, and about nine sisters are living in a section of a building near the property’s rear.

The Farmington Hills land played a crucial role in the Sisters of Mercy history. In 1960, Sisters of Mercy purchased the 160acre land on Middlebelt Road, which stretched from 11 Mile to 12 Mile Roads, Howard said. In 1984, Sisters of Mercy moved its retired sisters from Dubuque, Iowa, and Grand Rapids to the Farmington Hills center.

In 1993, Farmington Hills purchased the front half of the Sisters of Mercy’s property to build the Costick Activities Center, Howard said.

If Edward Rose & Sons takes over the property, the company is looking to build the Rose Senior Living Center. According to the Sisters of Mercy, it was looking and hoping for developers to specifical­ly build senior housing. The purchase agreement is for more than $5 million, according to the Farmington Press.

Mercy High School will not be affected by the proposed sale, and the school will monitor the land conservanc­y, which was establishe­d 20 years ago.

According to developers, Rose Senior Living Center encourages an active lifestyle for residents that fosters independen­ce, while still providing 24-hour care. Housing options at the new senior living center will offer one- and two-bedroom “apartment homes.” There are independen­t and assisted living options for residents, and there’s also a memory care housing option, aimed to help people with dementia.

There are two other Rose Senior Living locations; one in Clinton Township and one in Novi.

The estate sale at Sisters of Mercy will take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, and from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sunday.

 ?? PHOTOS BY RYAN GARZA/DETROIT FREE PRESS ?? Aaron’s Estate Sales owner Aaron Siepierski looks over artwork owned or made as part of the Sisters of Mercy convent estate sale on Tuesday.
PHOTOS BY RYAN GARZA/DETROIT FREE PRESS Aaron’s Estate Sales owner Aaron Siepierski looks over artwork owned or made as part of the Sisters of Mercy convent estate sale on Tuesday.
 ??  ?? Sister Rita Valade looks over items that will be going for sale with Aaron’s Estate Sales owner Aaron Siepierski.
Sister Rita Valade looks over items that will be going for sale with Aaron’s Estate Sales owner Aaron Siepierski.

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