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‘American Pickers’ Star Mike Wolfe Has Rescued a Number of Historic Buildings: Here’s the Oldest

American Pickers‘ very own Mike Wolfe has been known to rescue historic places.

In an interview with CBS, the reality star spoke about what draws him to history and antiques. What drives him is the storytelling aspect and getting to know a small town.

“All of these things in here were someone else’s dreams,” Wolfe said. “They were someone else’s world. There’s a magic to it; it’s magical.”

Although Wolfe is known for antiques, he especially enjoys preserving important locations. Over the years, he’s spent millions to restore old buildings. He began in his hometown of Le Claire, Iowa. Wolfe soon expanded to Columbia, Tennessee.

“I love old buildings; they speak to me,” Mike Wolfe continued. “They really have personalities. When I walk into a building that has such historic presence, it gives me the chills.”

Furthermore, one of his proudest properties is from 1947. It used to be an old Chevy dealership. The showroom was turned into a retail rental space.

“This was, like, a huge asset,” the American Pickers star explained. “Like a flagship for the community, and that’s kind of, to be honest with you, what I want it to be again.”

Finally, the oldest building he saved from demolition was built in 1857. He purchased it over four years ago. The space is currently a bike shop and above the store is two AirBnB rentals, located on the main street.

“These aren’t just buildings, and these aren’t just small town corridors,” Wolfe shared. “All of these places matter for one reason or another, and some can survive, some can’t. But if we don’t try as individuals, then who are we as a society?”

How Mike Hired Danielle For ‘American Pickers’

Firstly, Danielle Colby has become a fan favorite on American Pickers. Mike Wolfe met Danielle Colby at a garage sale back in 2000. Colby spotted a lamp that she liked and Wolfe swooped in and picked it up. Secondly, she was intrigued and they met and began a working relationship.

Thirdly, Colby began working behind the counter at Antique Archeology. She was later promoted to co-host. So what made Wolfe bring her on board?

During an event in Le Claire, they had a question and answer segment. He revealed that it took him ten years to hire her for the show.

“When we sold the show to History, I needed to hire somebody that did what we did with the research,” Wolfe explained. “And just dissecting things as far as where we were gonna go. And I asked her to do it, and she’s like ‘Are you guys nuts?”

Meanwhile, Wolfe wanted history to be fun. With her personality and fresh look, she made the perfect candidate.

“I saw what she was capable of. She’s got the edge, she’s got the look,” Wolfe shared.