Inside the 10 Detroit schools being demolished

[LeannaM]

It's a shame what these buildings are becoming. I, too, am surprised that so much is left behind, especially in school buildings which should have confidentiality laws attached to them. Still, in a lot buildings [[especially schools), there is a lot that can be salvaged.

[unclefrank]

What is the oldest still operating [[or still standing) school in Detroit?

[Johnnie Sue Bridges]

Detroit City High / McGraw Middle / Longfellow School - 1963-2007

A school with many identities: at various times the small school on the west side has gone by the names McGraw, Longfellow, and lastly, Detroit City Alternative High. Notable for being one of the few schools abandoned due to increasing enrollment. From 1997 to 2006, the student population jumped from 177 to 451. Its cornerstone program was a comprehensive 11-month high school and GED program.





Last time I drove by, it was being cleaned out.

detroiturbex,
Where exactly is this school located? Would this be the converted 6th Precinct Police Station? If this school is across from Munger, on Martin and McGraw, then this would be the old 6th Precinct Police Station.

That leads to my next question. Are Munger and Chadsey [[my old school) slated for demolition? I would love to get inside and photograph the school??? Any sugestions.

By the way, I am very impressed with your photos and your ability to photograph the inside of the schools. GREAT JOB! Thanks for sharing.
Johnnie Sue

[econ expat]

detroiturbex,
Where exactly is this school located? Would this be the converted 6th Precinct Police Station? If this school is across from Munger, on Martin and McGraw, then this would be the old 6th Precinct Police Station.

That leads to my next question. Are Munger and Chadsey [[my old school) slated for demolition? I would love to get inside and photograph the school??? Any sugestions.

By the way, I am very impressed with your photos and your ability to photograph the inside of the schools. GREAT JOB! Thanks for sharing.
Johnnie Sue

The old 6th Precinct building on McGraw was not converted to classroom/school.

The 1st list of schools to be demolished did have Chadsey/Munger.Quite strange to classify the building as a public nuisance, etc- it's only been closed a year.

Who are they fooling, anyways? A great deal of the 'dangerous structures' are buildings built in 50's 60's. Guaranteed to have asbestos, a bonus for the contractors/ asbestos removal programs.

[detroiturbex]

detroiturbex,
Where exactly is this school located? Would this be the converted 6th Precinct Police Station? If this school is across from Munger, on Martin and McGraw, then this would be the old 6th Precinct Police Station.

That leads to my next question. Are Munger and Chadsey [[my old school) slated for demolition? I would love to get inside and photograph the school??? Any sugestions.

By the way, I am very impressed with your photos and your ability to photograph the inside of the schools. GREAT JOB! Thanks for sharing.
Johnnie Sue

Thanks, JS. Detroit City was located on McGraw and Moores streets, just west of the 96/94 interchange. Last time I drove past it the dumpsters were out front and it looked like it was coming down.

The 6th precinct station is still standing, but boarded up.

The latest DPS Facilites Master Plan has this:

Phase I
•A new $18.4 million Munger PK-8 school will be built on or near the Wilson Playground.
•The district will demolish the Chadsey/Munger site and preserve it for future use.

Chadsey / Munger are well-secured. I don't break into locations, and hope these two don't open up.

[kathy2trips]

A sad and poignant record of some beautiful architecture gone to seed. They will never build places like this again, that have the care to detail, imagination and artistic flair as they did in the early 20th century. These were constructed by a newly-rich city in a show of love for their children and spared no expense. Some Detroit schools are [[or were) bona-fide works of art. And look at all the stuff left in these places! I think that's what makes me angriest. The hard working people of Detroit gladly paid taxes for their childrens' education, only to have it disrespectfully squandered. This is so wasteful on so many levels it's mind-boggling. My condolences to all who have happy memories of these places; this must hurt you most of all. Thank you for posting, just the same.

[eastsidechris]

Re: Detroit City High

The building that was demolished a couple weeks ago was at the intersection of 24th and McGraw.

Too bad you don't have any pictures of the AMAZING mural which was put on a huge wall in what passed as the school's auditorium: it featured drawings of the Ren Cen, the people mover, Fox Theater and other Detroit landmarks.

What a shame that the school had to be moved because the population got too big. Now it's located at the old Longfellow Middle School building off of Rosa Parks and just south of Davison. Word is that the staff has to deal with an influx of neighborhood gang issues [[well, mostly wanna-be gang members) that they never had to deal with at the smaller building on McGraw. So sad.

[terryh]

1968, 71, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 91, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 02, 03

I might have a 2001 somewhere.

What schools were they from. I would be interested in looking at them if you are ever in the Ferndale area. Ive checked out yearbooks from Highland Park in the Burton Historical Collection.The yearbooks I would be interested in would be from 68-82. Its interesting to see the ethnic makeup of the student body and to look at the ads....

[vivadetroit]

John Owen Elementary School - 1964-2006






Like many schools built in the 60's, Owen had an open space in the center of the building.



I do not have any recent information on the status of the school, but it is on the demolition list.

They're tearing it down right now. I drove by it today and it's partially gone. I never knew there was a school back there. So sad..

Great site and pix, btw!! Keep up the good work!

[takascar]

Hi - I'm a native Detroiter who lives in Chicago now. I grew up on the east side [[Bedford near Munich) and attended Clark from K - 7th grade and then went on to St. Matthews for 8th and Notre Dame for HS.

I saw the original plan published in March that has Clark slated for demolition and the land to be used for a new school to be built there.

Since then, I've heard that there is some updated version of the Schools plan, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Does anyone know if they've changed the plans for Clark?

Have so many memories of Clark, especially the colorful character of a principal that we had - the old "army drill sergeant" George Parlato - used to run the safety patrol like his own army and "inspected the troops" by driving up and down Waveney and Bremen in his blue station wagon.

Those were the days.....

[Lombaowski]

Interesting thread.

[Goose]

Hi - I'm a native Detroiter who lives in Chicago now. I grew up on the east side [[Bedford near Munich) and attended Clark from K - 7th grade and then went on to St. Matthews for 8th and Notre Dame for HS.

I saw the original plan published in March that has Clark slated for demolition and the land to be used for a new school to be built there.

Since then, I've heard that there is some updated version of the Schools plan, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Does anyone know if they've changed the plans for Clark?

Have so many memories of Clark, especially the colorful character of a principal that we had - the old "army drill sergeant" George Parlato - used to run the safety patrol like his own army and "inspected the troops" by driving up and down Waveney and Bremen in his blue station wagon.

Those were the days.....

takascar, what year were you there? i only went to clark for kindergarten and i think 1st grade, i lived on chatsworth, i remember during the snowy winter months mr. parlato used to drive his snowmobile down chatsworth to get to school... i still have my kindergarten clark class photo, back in i think 1973, me with my dolch 120 pin for knowing a certain number of words.....

[takascar]

I was there between 1968 and 1976

[Rocko]

May 20. 2010 6:42AM
Another vacant Detroit school to be demolished today

Associated Press

Detroit -- Another of Detroit's vacant schools is coming down.
The district says the former Newberry School building is scheduled to be demolished at 3 p.m. today.

Newberry is one of 10 empty school buildings scheduled to come down by next month. The demolition work is expected to create more than 100 jobs.

From The Detroit News: http://detroitnews.com/article/20100...#ixzz0oUOBwxVo

[Johnnie Sue Bridges]

Thanks, JS. Detroit City was located on McGraw and Moores streets, just west of the 96/94 interchange. Last time I drove past it the dumpsters were out front and it looked like it was coming down.

The 6th precinct station is still standing, but boarded up.

The latest DPS Facilites Master Plan has this:

Phase I
•A new $18.4 million Munger PK-8 school will be built on or near the Wilson Playground.
•The district will demolish the Chadsey/Munger site and preserve it for future use.

Chadsey / Munger are well-secured. I don't break into locations, and hope these two don't open up.

Thanks detroiturbex,
Please keep us posted if you see the plans to demolish the Chadsey/Munger site happening.

[Kathleen]

If anyone does hear about the fate of Clark School, please post the information. I went to Clark for kindergarten, as did my brothers and sisters. We all then attended St. Clare and Bishop Gallagher.

I remember Miss Altmiks [[no idea how it is spelled), Mrs. Bone, and Miss Jaminet as the three Kindergarten teachers.

I have fond memories of the playground behind the school, playing lobpitch baseball with my younger brothers and their friends, and hitting one over the fence!!!

takascar: We lived on Three Mile Dr.between Waveney and Bremen. I'm sure that we knew some of the same families in the area, although I'm about 5 years older than you.

[takascar]

If anyone does hear about the fate of Clark School, please post the information. I went to Clark for kindergarten, as did my brothers and sisters. We all then attended St. Clare and Bishop Gallagher.

I remember Miss Altmiks [[no idea how it is spelled), Mrs. Bone, and Miss Jaminet as the three Kindergarten teachers.

I have fond memories of the playground behind the school, playing lobpitch baseball with my younger brothers and their friends, and hitting one over the fence!!!

takascar: We lived on Three Mile Dr.between Waveney and Bremen. I'm sure that we knew some of the same families in the area, although I'm about 5 years older than you.

I remember Mrs Bone. The folks I remember on Three Mile Drive were Jay Plante, Keith Miller and the Zinser family, oh and Joey King at Three Mile and Cornwall

[Kathleen]

Takascar: King sounds familiar; were they near Munich? What about any of these families who lived on Three Mile Drive in the three blocks between Warren and Waveney: Chappelle, Carroll, Cilluffo, Dyer, Bashara, Donnelly, Dougherty, or Dillard?

[takascar]

Dyer does sound familiar. King was on the corner of Three Mile and Cornwall - the southwest corner.

[Kathleen]

Takascar: Good try, but I guess 5 or so years makes a difference in who we remember from the old neighborhood.

Rocko: Thanks for the tip on the Newberry School. When the list of the first 10 schools to be demolished was published, I made the rounds to take photos of the cornerstones, front entrances, and other significant details. I had never seen the Newberry School before and was floored to find out that this beautiful Tudor style school building was coming down. Seeing your post, I headed over there today and was able to rescue a couple pieces of the slate roofing from the front entrance area. It's just lying around for the taking. And I wanted a souvenir of how buildings used to be...

[detroiturbex]

If anyone does hear about the fate of Clark School, please post the information. I went to Clark for kindergarten, as did my brothers and sisters. We all then attended St. Clare and Bishop Gallagher.

Clark was "reconfigured" in 2009. From the 2010 master facility plan:

•Hanstein and Clark will close.
•A new PK-8 school will be created on the Clark site with a new addition for grades 6-8.

[M CD M]

With all these Demo's. Some of these could've waited or been reused.

How come Wilbur Wright isn't on the list? Or did I miss reading about that one?
[[last time I was there, there was a For Lease sign on one side very high up)

Excellent photo's!

[reddog289]

With one of the schools I work at on the closing list, I hope that that school does not suffer the same fate. By with what I hear it won't, Do to the fact that they want everything out of the building when the last days are over.

[EASTSIDE CAT 67-83]

Those are some beautiful old buildings built by true craftsmen. I went Guyton on the eastside I think it was built around 1919 or 1920 and was named after the first Michigan soldier killed in WWI. I had heard it was on the closure list a few years ago but was saved somehow. Its sad to see how quickly after these buildings are shuttered that they become destroyed by the local residents. To have sat there all those years and nutured generations of Detroiters and in only a matter of weeks it's FUBAR

[reddog289]

Sad to say it ES Cat your on to somethin,I don't have the time to drive around look at abandoned schools. Its all just sad.