DPS is tearin' em down

[mauser]

In all, 14 buildings will be demolished, though more may be added to the list, officials said. Among the 14 schools: the old Cass Tech High, Finney High, Chadsey High and Munger Middle.

http://www.freep.com/article/2009120...032/1001/rss01

[Detroitnerd]

Can't they just sell them?

[Detroit Stylin]

Can't they just sell them?

So slum lords can sit on them for another 20-30 years?

[Detroitnerd]

Royal Oak is selling off its school properties. Why not Detroit?

Heck, it costs money to demo them. But you could make money by selling them. Nobody's using them.

Or maybe it's better to only sell "assets" people want to use, such as parks.

[d.mcc]

Royal Oak is selling off its school properties. Why not Detroit?

Heck, it costs money to demo them. But you could make money by selling them. Nobody's using them.

Or maybe it's better to only sell "assets" people want to use, such as parks.

Why on Earth would you NOT want to demolish viable building stock like the Old Cass Tech, especially when it would be close to where the new Hockey Arena is rumored to go? Detroit, Progress through Regression!

[Detroit Stylin]

Why on Earth would you NOT want to demolish viable building stock like the Old Cass Tech, especially when it would be close to where the new Hockey Arena is rumored to go? Detroit, Progress through Regression!

lol @ that ^^^

[Gsgeorge]

Another tragic loss for Detroit architecture and history. One can only hope that parts of the buildings are saved, particularly the smaller schools' entranceways, or that a group of preservationists convince DPS to use the Cass Tech demo dollars to clean out and seal the place for future development.

[d.mcc]

Another tragic loss for Detroit architecture and history. One can only hope that parts of the buildings are saved, particularly the smaller schools' entranceways, or that a group of preservationists convince DPS to use the Cass Tech demo dollars to clean out and seal the place for future development.

Or to leave the structurally sound, architecturally viable, and perfectly located building still fucking standing...

[d.mcc]

Sorry, I read your post wrong. This "City of Ignorance" is really trying my love lately...

[Tig3rzhark]

I remember going to school in that old building, graduated from there in 2003.

I remember having 5 mins to run up those stairs just to get to the next class. The teachers and administrators still wouldn't let us use the elevators.

I know some people wanted to turn Cass Tech into another loft, but I say tear the building down. Then they can fix that 99 yard football field that they have and finally give students that drive or ride bikes to class, some parking.

That building is an eyesore now, just get rid of it.

[DetroitHabitater]

Some of these buildings are out in the weeds. Like Owen being in the middle of a field, there has to be only 2 or 3 houses adjacent to it. Let it rot, put that money into education.

[buildingsofdetroit]

Crain's joins the fray:
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...REE/912079982#

[econ expat]

Royal Oak is selling off its school properties. Why not Detroit?

Heck, it costs money to demo them. But you could make money by selling them. Nobody's using them.

Or maybe it's better to only sell "assets" people want to use, such as parks.

Unless DPS plans to become an even smaller district in the future, the idea to demolish unsafe/ unusable closed buildings makes more sense.Alot of the DPS school buildings are near 100 years old. Historical, perhaps. Comfortable learning envoirment- uh no. Lealy roofs, pipes, boilers, radiators. Lots of glass for sunlight, but no insulation to keep heat in and no central A/C. Wiring designed only for light bulbs, etc.

Yet when the school age population increases again, how would DPS find land to build new schools if they have already sold off their land/properties big enough for schools? During baby boom years there was no need for the yellow school busses. All the elementary schools were in walking distance. City transit [[DSR) was accessible for Jr High and HS if need be. And the elementary schools were the cornerstone of the neighborhood. All sorts of meetings and events there for the neighborhood.

Odd that the old Cass Tech is top of the list.It's not as if the building is in a secluded area, subject to more 'vandalism'.

[Bearinabox]

Unless DPS plans to become an even smaller district in the future, the idea to demolish unsafe/ unusable closed buildings makes more sense.Alot of the DPS school buildings are near 100 years old. Historical, perhaps. Comfortable learning envoirment- uh no. Lealy roofs, pipes, boilers, radiators. Lots of glass for sunlight, but no insulation to keep heat in and no central A/C. Wiring designed only for light bulbs, etc.

Yet when the school age population increases again, how would DPS find land to build new schools if they have already sold off their land/properties big enough for schools? During baby boom years there was no need for the yellow school busses. All the elementary schools were in walking distance. City transit [[DSR) was accessible for Jr High and HS if need be. And the elementary schools were the cornerstone of the neighborhood. All sorts of meetings and events there for the neighborhood.

Odd that the old Cass Tech is top of the list.It's not as if the building is in a secluded area, subject to more 'vandalism'.

How you know when your civilization has had it too good for too long: 80-year-old buildings are seen as worthless and in need of replacement for no other reason than that nobody has bothered to update or maintain them.

[bigtreble]

The following sites will be demolished in the initial phase of the project:

1. Ferry, Dexter F. Elementary School, 2920 East Palmer, 51,200 sq. feet

2. Owen, John A. Elementary School [[OLD), 3033 15th Street, 55,277 sq. feet

3. Newberry, John Elementary School, 4045 29th Street, 50,438 sq. feet

4. Woodward, Augusta B. Elementary School, 2900 Wreford, 38,256 sq. feet

5. Sherrard, Henry Gary Elementary/Middle School, 8300 Cameron, 99,081 sq. feet

6. Brietmeyer Elementary School [[OLD FLICS), 8210 Cameron, 42,336 sq. feet

7. Detroit City High School [[OLD), 3500 McGraw, 42,972 sq. feet

8. Sanders, Claire Mabel Elementary School, 8700 Byron, 56,299 sq. feet

9. Scripps, James Edmond Elementary, 2100 Hurlbut, 44,538 sq. feet

10. Angell, James Burrill Primary 8858 Petosky, 7,300 sq. feet

11. Cass Technical High School [[OLD), 2421 Second Ave, 831,000 sq. feet

12. Finney High School [[OLD), 17200 Southampton, 257,392 sq. feet

13. Chadsey High School, 5335 Martin St. 163,842 sq. feet

14. Munger Middle School, 5525 Martin St. 115,691 sq. feet

http://www.detroitk12.org/news/article/1839/

[MichMatters]

Royal Oak is selling off its school properties. Why not Detroit?

Umm...probably because they actually have a chance of being reused within the, say, the next decade at the very most in Royal Oak, and Detroit quite literally has dozens of these buildings that have just about ZERO prospect of being bought and reused. I'm generally a preservationist, but even I have to recognize that schools reusage usually requires a creative plan, and even then it many don't get reused, let alone in an environment as depressed as the outlying neighborhoods of Detroit.

We're talking about over a dozen schools, with spaces generally ranging between 40,000 and 100,000 square feet. What kind of tenants, and how many, do you know that could support such a glut of space, some of which would require extensive renovation before it could even be considered for reuse? I say choose those near the core, like Cass Tech, where there isn't a residential neighborhood surrounding it for it to drag down, or ones with other outstanding features such a styling or size, and let the rest go for the sake of the neighborhoods and school district.

[English]

I remember going to school in that old building, graduated from there in 2003.

I remember having 5 mins to run up those stairs just to get to the next class. The teachers and administrators still wouldn't let us use the elevators.

Sure wouldn't! Just think about how much exercise you got walking up those stairs... you ought to thank us!

--English, former CT teacher who grew to love that old building

[English]

The following sites will be demolished in the initial phase of the project:

1. Ferry, Dexter F. Elementary School, 2920 East Palmer, 51,200 sq. feet

2. Owen, John A. Elementary School [[OLD), 3033 15th Street, 55,277 sq. feet

3. Newberry, John Elementary School, 4045 29th Street, 50,438 sq. feet

4. Woodward, Augusta B. Elementary School, 2900 Wreford, 38,256 sq. feet

5. Sherrard, Henry Gary Elementary/Middle School, 8300 Cameron, 99,081 sq. feet

6. Brietmeyer Elementary School [[OLD FLICS), 8210 Cameron, 42,336 sq. feet

7. Detroit City High School [[OLD), 3500 McGraw, 42,972 sq. feet

8. Sanders, Claire Mabel Elementary School, 8700 Byron, 56,299 sq. feet

9. Scripps, James Edmond Elementary, 2100 Hurlbut, 44,538 sq. feet

10. Angell, James Burrill Primary 8858 Petosky, 7,300 sq. feet

11. Cass Technical High School [[OLD), 2421 Second Ave, 831,000 sq. feet

12. Finney High School [[OLD), 17200 Southampton, 257,392 sq. feet

13. Chadsey High School, 5335 Martin St. 163,842 sq. feet

14. Munger Middle School, 5525 Martin St. 115,691 sq. feet

http://www.detroitk12.org/news/article/1839/

OK, reading this list made me cry. I know, I'm being a girl, but it's all too much... SO many friends went to ALL of these schools... and Cass Tech... the halls that my grandfather walked in the late 1920s and early 1930s... the halls that my aunts and uncles and cousins hung out in during the 1970s and early 1980s... the halls that I walked as a teacher on September 11th, and wanted to walk forever... loved that job, loved my classroom, and best of all, loved my students. I walked into that building as a girl teacher in my early 20s and left it involuntarily as a grown woman and mature educator looking at 30 whom the district no longer had a place for.

Now I understand why the old folks were so upset at the Hudson's demo. Between this and Tiger Stadium, it's getting to be too much for me. It's... just too much.

[rjlj]

The story of the old Cass Tech is a tragedy. Detroit could have had a great historic downtown high school but that was thrown away for a few bucks by the people who were elected to educate and enrich the students. So much history will be lost when these schools are demolished. Bobb will hopefully bring the Cass Tech truth to the open.

[reddog289]

Is the Wilber Wright Trade School still standing, and if it is, does DPS still own it?
If it is still standing that should be at the top. Was bad two years ago when I drove by it. Seeing some of the pictures posted on the net of some of these schools makes me sad and sick.
Cass Tech is a sticky subject like Hudsons.It won't go quietly.

[Hamtragedy]

Wright is still there, door wide open.

[detroitsgwenivere]

Some of these buildings are out in the weeds. Like Owen being in the middle of a field, there has to be only 2 or 3 houses adjacent to it. Let it rot, put that money into education.

Actually, we might be taking that one off the list. The community is working with non-profit who might rehab it if they choose to put their school there. If they don't, then it's coming down and thank God. I've been trying to get it torn down for over a year. The whole building is wide open and stripped, just waiting for some asshole with a match to come walking by. The worst part is, DPS poured millions into rehabing that school about a year before it closed. The same thing with several other schools that are now dilapitated. What a effing waste.

[kathy2trips]

Oh, so this will help us forget that we were once a very wealthy city that in 100 years became a welfare state? Yeah, that'll do it!

What happened to "recycling"? Not a very "green" solution, is it? And so all that block, tile, stone and brick go where? To some landfill...along with our architectural heritage? Ready-to-retrofit, well built buildings of primo materials wasted! Just seal them, brick them shut, and spend the money for the demo on kids and teachers.

We'll lose so much on so many levels if DPS does this....we've lost a lot already. As the daughter and granddaughter of 20th century Detroit bricklayers, just thinking about this is making me sick. Short-sighted is an understatement; It's unsettling to think that these people have advanced degrees, yet no common sense.

[reddog289]

What about the school that was on life after people or whatever that show was.Theres a school that should go.As an employee of a local district, One of the two buildings I work at is scheduled to be closed. I would rather see it demolished then suffer the fate that some of the closed DPS schools have had.

[detroitsgwenivere]

Royal Oak is selling off its school properties. Why not Detroit?

Heck, it costs money to demo them. But you could make money by selling them. Nobody's using them.

Or maybe it's better to only sell "assets" people want to use, such as parks.

Royal Oak closed my high school, Dondero, a few years back and combined it with Kimball H.S. [[now called Royal Oak H.S.), which i found hilarious because our schools used to have beef back in the day. We saw this coming though because so many DINKs had moved in and, let's face it, gay couples rarely have kids. Plus, the environment for children changed with the nazi police, and it got so expensive to live there, lots of families decided to move to places like Novi and Shelby Twp.

Now the school building, which is quite beautiful, houses all of the middle school kids south of 12 mile, and the crappy little institutional looking buildings were torn down or sold. Happy day for the children.