Marygrove College closing in December

[Burnsie]

No doubt soon to be a brand new playground for all trespassers, thrill seekers, vandals, drug dealers, scrappers, "urban explorers," squatters, ruin porn freaks, and just plain criminals.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/edu...ng/1429771001/

[masterblaster]

Very saddened by this closure. A blow to the city.

[Danny]

You win University of Detroit Mercy. Please buy Marygrove College.

[EastsideAl]

Sad news. I can't say that I'm surprised, since the college had been in trouble for some time. The closing down of the undergraduate classes a couple of years ago was a clear sign that they were in a precarious state. The Kresge Foundation tried to save things, but it always seemed more like a 'Hail Mary' type of action rather than anything with a solid chance of success.

I had a few family members and friends who went there, and an old friend and colleague who was part of the Immaculate Heart of Mary order. Folks here know that I am no friend of the Roman Catholic church, and have very few nice things to say about them, but the women of the IHM order were some of the most committed fighters for social and economic justice, equality, and a better community for all of us here in Detroit that I have ever known.

[Gistok]

In 1990 University of Detroit, Mercy College and Marygrove College were all 3 in merger talks. Marygrove backed out for whatever reason, and University of Detroit and Mercy College merged to become University of Detroit Mercy.

Ironically Marygrove College it is 11 blocks west of U of D Mercy. I wonder if U of DM could have a functional use for it. Marygrove is far and away the most beautiful of the colleges in the Detroit area, and is 100% fenced in with tall wrought iron fencing.

[professorscott]

In 1990 University of Detroit, Mercy College and Marygrove College were all 3 in merger talks. Marygrove backed out for whatever reason, and University of Detroit and Mercy College merged to become University of Detroit Mercy.

Ironically Marygrove College it is 11 blocks west of U of D Mercy. I wonder if U of DM could have a functional use for it. Marygrove is far and away the most beautiful of the colleges in the Detroit area, and is 100% fenced in with tall wrought iron fencing.

Given the decision by Marygrove to back out of the merger, at a time when all three institutions were in fairly dire straits, I must say I'm gratified they were able to keep things going these 29 years.

As to your other point, Gistok, unfortunately I think it very unlikely UDM will step into the fray here. UDM at the time of merger had a good bit more land than it now has, and when it needs more space it looks very nearby, such as the acquisition of the former Brent Hospital property eight or nine years ago. Eleven blocks is not far - I've walked it many times - but it's probably farther than UDM would look if it needs land, which right now [[so far as I know) it does not.

I do hope something beneficial can be done with the property, though I'm not sure what or when it will be.

[Burnsie]

Regardless of the fence, the bastards will find their way in. They always do. The fence will merely be the first thing to get scrapped.

[djtomt]

Regardless of the fence, the bastards will find their way in. They always do. The fence will merely be the first thing to get scrapped.

Did you read the article? Post secondary education is gone, but a new educational model is taking its place on the same campus.

[Gistok]

Did you read the article? Post secondary education is gone, but a new educational model is taking its place on the same campus.

Thanks for confirming that. The article could have been better written to say that the College may be closing... but the complex will find a new use. This paragraph doesn't quite convey that....

"The closure of the now graduate-only college does not impact the P-20 educational campus that the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the University of Michigan, the Kresge Foundation and other partners are scheduled to open this fall."

However... if you look at this article from Feb. 2019, it makes it sound as though the K-20 approach is a plan to be fully implemented over the next 10 years [[and the high school portion will use the former Immaculata High School [[closed 1984). Removing the college completely from the picture may mean a change of plans for the P-20 initiative. Who's going to mind the rest of the complex when 1 building will start off as part of the new initiative in fall 2019? These are 53 wonderful spacious landscaped acres of arguably the most sumptuous school buildings anywhere in Michigan. Not going to be cheap to maintain.

https://www.modeldmedia.com/features...on-020519.aspx

Here's a map of the 53 acre Margrove complex, with the mothballed [[but planned to be re-opened) high school in the lower right [[SW) corner of the fenced-in property. Now what happens to the main college buildings and the residence halls, if there is no college in the complex any more?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Im...!4d-83.1521479

We don't know yet...

[hybridy]

Who's going to mind the rest of the complex when 1 building will start off as part of the new initiative in fall 2019? These are 53 wonderful spacious landscaped acres of arguably the most sumptuous school buildings anywhere in Michigan. Not going to be cheap to maintain.

Kresge has been bankrolling Marygrove for some time

-UofM will have a teaching residency program on campus

-could the early childhood center be Peggy's Place?
https://goo.gl/maps/RcnzyuyG8GPqZcLk7

-the new high school is the old Immaculata School building on the SE corner of campus
The School @ Marygrove has a website:
https://www.detroitk12.org/schools/marygrove

[Burnsie]

Well, we'll see. There's still too much that's not clear to rest easy.

[masterblaster]

In 1990 University of Detroit, Mercy College and Marygrove College were all 3 in merger talks. Marygrove backed out for whatever reason, and University of Detroit and Mercy College merged to become University of Detroit Mercy.

Ironically Marygrove College it is 11 blocks west of U of D Mercy. I wonder if U of DM could have a functional use for it. Marygrove is far and away the most beautiful of the colleges in the Detroit area, and is 100% fenced in with tall wrought iron fencing.

How about U of D move a school or two from the Livernois campus, as well as the Law School [[from downtown) and Dentist School [[from Core City) to the Marygrove Campus.

Maybe U of D can go an expansion campaign to increase enrollment by several thousand [[U of M has increased enrollment by 10,000 students since I graduated in 2002). It can use some land freed up from moving some schools to Marygrove, to create a football and baseball field on the Livernois campus. If Madonna University and Lawrence Tech can start college football programs, why can't U of D?

[JonWylie]

How about U of D move a school or two from the Livernois campus, as well as the Law School [[from downtown) and Dentist School [[from Core City) to the Marygrove Campus.

Maybe U of D can go an expansion campaign to increase enrollment by several thousand [[U of M has increased enrollment by 10,000 students since I graduated in 2002). It can use some land freed up from moving some schools to Marygrove, to create a football and baseball field on the Livernois campus. If Madonna University and Lawrence Tech can start college football programs, why can't U of D?

They discussed moving the law school last year. I think they would be foolish to think about selling the building before the 375 rework because that may increase the sale price by quite a bit. But the students were pretty opposed to it due to the program with University of Windsor and the court houses being downtown. I think the dental school requires so much technical equipment and space that a move would be difficult. I like the idea but I think the logistics are just too difficult.

[DeLemur]

No, it won't be cheap to maintain. Maintain it must though because it is just a stunning batch of buildings and grounds.

Just plain sad and fascinating. It sounds like the College was paralyzed and didn't try to transform. The P-20 education experiment is good to see. The grounds could really become something special again. What could you see go in there?

[mwilbert]

It sounds like the College was paralyzed and didn't try to transform.

Maybe. I think they tried to transform at least a couple of times. But the truth is that the small private college business is tough, and the low-endowment, no-name small private college business is tougher. Similar colleges are closing across the country.

In retrospect it is obvious [[I have to say I thought it was pretty obvious at the time) that their best hope for survival was to join with UD and Mercy, but apparently they didn't see it that way.

The campus is a gem, and we can hope someone will make good use of it. The logical candidate is UDM, but as other people have said, it isn't at all clear they need the space enough to make it worth assuming the costs.

[royce]

I definitely believe the buildings of Marygrove College should be saved. The apartments, for example, could simply be converted to market-rate apartments [[keep reading). The land, however, could be re-purposed. There is an opportunity to open up the land to mixed-use. Some of the side streets north and south of the campus could extend through the campus to help increase walk-ability in the neighborhood. For example, streets like Indiana, Ohio, and Northlawn could extend through the campus to connect residents on Marygrove Street and the streets south of the campus to McNichols/Six Mile. Some commercial development could go on the land facing McNichols/Six Mile. A park could be incorporated at the corner of McNichols and Greenlawn. Housing could be built along the extended side streets mentioned earlier. With the right planning the Marygrove campus could be a valuable asset to the neighborhood and city. It takes vision.

[Gistok]

^ I would respectfully disagree. Detroit doesn't suffer from a lack of housing... it suffers from a lack of people. There's pleny of places even some nearby that could have infill, and also new housing.

The Marygrove campus is a beautiful respite of majestic architecture amid mature trees in an English Garden setting. If anything, parts of the campus could be parkland with sports fields in the treeless area on the NE side of the campus [[a purpose, for which it is already used for).

But large areas of the campus have an assembly of mature trees, which adds to the neighborhood.

I think the neighbors facing the campus would definitely have that NIMBY attitude... to not spoil their views of that special oasis.

[Danny]

How about U of D move a school or two from the Livernois campus, as well as the Law School [[from downtown) and Dentist School [[from Core City) to the Marygrove Campus.

Maybe U of D can go an expansion campaign to increase enrollment by several thousand [[U of M has increased enrollment by 10,000 students since I graduated in 2002). It can use some land freed up from moving some schools to Marygrove, to create a football and baseball field on the Livernois campus. If Madonna University and Lawrence Tech can start college football programs, why can't U of D?

That's a smart ideal. Who would want to go the University dentist at some blighted very dangerous ghetto hood in Detroit's Lower West Side? I don't! I rather go to one at Detroit Receiving Hospital.

[Zacha341]

^^^ The folks in the 'ghetto hood' of Detroit's Lower West side would miss the lower cost dentistry services. Maybe we can have sites at both locations.

[Hypestyles]

there should be alumni get-togethers soon.

[Seven&wyo]

15-million-early-childhood-center-planned-cradle-career-campus-marygrove

It looks like a new 5 years and younger education center will be built in Marygrove and the Bates School will be renovated for K-8 .

[Danny]

15-million-early-childhood-center-planned-cradle-career-campus-marygrove

It looks like a new 5 years and younger education center will be built in Marygrove and the Bates School will be renovated for K-8 .

HAH! Marygrove College should be the new expanded Cesar Chavez High School.