DETROIT – Alex Pereira loves Detroit. He also loves real estate. And he's found a way to combine the two to put a unique touch on neighborhoods.
Through his company, Secure Realty LLC, Pereira has been renovating houses in the Woodbridge Historical District. He's keeping their historical attributes, but adding a modern twist.
"Some people love it and some people are not big fans of it. I am a big believer that art should instill strong emotional responses," Pereira said.
Last April, Local 4 caught up with Pereira at a home on Trumbull Avenue he transformed with inspiration from Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax."
Now, he's transforming a house on Avery Street, and his muse is the Disney movie "Up."
Pereira said the movie's story parallels what's happening in Detroit.
"The story of ‘Up' is an older gentleman who had kind of given up on life, old Detroit. The new guy comes in, the new little kid, and together they form this great adventure and they go off to do greater and bigger things than they thought were possible," Pereira said.
He began working on the 19th century home in September. It has three rental units that will be available April 1. His target demographic is young professionals.
"The millennial generation that believes the city is coming back and wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves," Pereira said.
Soon Alex will begin work on a house on Commonwealth Street.
"Focus on a strong urban core, bring the people here, make it a desirable place to be then we could work on the periphery on everything else that they have been working on downtown," Pereira said.
To follow Pereira's renovations, visit his Facebook page here.