Redford High Site sold

**65memories** · August-04-10, 06:01 PM

Didn't see this yet on any threads:
http://www.lormaxstern.com/properties/redford.htm

**Pcm** · August-04-10, 06:44 PM

Ugh. Strip mall in the place of a historic [[intact) high school. Awesome.

**RickBeall** · August-04-10, 06:49 PM

Cool! I hope they build these things that look like aircraft hangers with blocks and blocks of parking all around. That would be a creative idea.

God forbid that they could actually work the school into the plan.

**Russix** · August-04-10, 06:58 PM

Strip mall

**MaxDetroit** · August-04-10, 07:13 PM

Hate to sound a negative note here but the 8th pct building directly across the street from RHS was bought for some pie in the sky project 5 years ago and has been sitting empty, boarded up and weed infested ever since. I'll believe this when I see it.

**jtf1972** · August-04-10, 07:45 PM

Don't you guys realize... Strip malls show the utmost in suburban class! There can be a dollar store, a hair care products store... and if it really truly wants to emulate suburban living, it can be half empty!

**barnesfoto** · August-04-10, 08:03 PM

it does not make a lot of sense, given all the vacant retail space nearby. I guess that they are going for the Highland Park approach. It would be nice if they sold off some of the fixtures from the buildings before demo, assuming things ever get that far. I'd love to have one of those old desks from study hall.

**RickBeall** · August-04-10, 08:33 PM

Maybe they could put in some nail salon stores too. Maybe a cell phone store. Briefly open a radio shack and close it.

**jtf1972** · August-04-10, 08:52 PM

It's a shame no area developers consider anything outside the standard of tearing things down to put up something cheap & forgettable.

Look at Limelight Marketplace in NYC

http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Yo...=photos&ref=ts

It's a former club & deconsecrated Episcopalian Parish that is now retail space that is designed around the former church!

Now imagine shopping at that RadioShack during its three days of operation, and knowing that you failed an algebra test sitting right where they have the rechargeable batteries.

**1KielsonDrive** · August-04-10, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by RickBeall

Cool! I hope they build these things that look like aircraft hangers with blocks and blocks of parking all around. That would be a creative idea.

God forbid that they could actually work the school into the plan.

Hey, like it or not, they're not going to replace all of those beautiful old, historic buildings with beautiful, new historic [[looking) buildings. Detroit is ripe for strip malls and 'big box' stores, IF it's ripe for anything. That's one of the worst things of all of this: tear down a Little Harry's and build an IHOP. Tear down a Madison Lennox and build a parking lot. Tear down Tiger/Brigg's Stadium/Navin Field, build COPA. As much as I dislike the hulk of the MCD sitting there, what's the option? Maybe a Wal-Mart to go along with a Home Depot at 'The Corner'.

**MaxDetroit** · August-04-10, 09:31 PM

I googled around and didn't see one word about this except lormaxstern's website. Methinks this is not a done deal.

**econ expat** · August-04-10, 10:42 PM

Who writes that fluff for the developer? And wouldn't a potential tenant at least send out a scout to look at this historic area of fine homes with $60k households that extends all over SE Michigan? And Redford HS was not in Rosedale Park! Old Redford![[and on the fringe of Brightmoor)
For what its worth, this is the same company that is developing the former Livonia Mall into a 'marketplace'.
The school looked to be tightly secured, unlike most of the closed schools. But those who were in there or peered in before the board up say it was stripped and badly vandalized before DPS sealed it up.

**marcwigle** · August-04-10, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by barnesfoto

it does not make a lot of sense, given all the vacant retail space nearby. I guess that they are going for the Highland Park approach. It would be nice if they sold off some of the fixtures from the buildings before demo, assuming things ever get that far. I'd love to have one of those old desks from study hall.

Study hall??!! More like detention hall! ;-)

**royce** · August-05-10, 01:30 AM

My concern is that they will bulldoze the athletic field. The baseball diamonds and the football field and track actually get quite a bit of use from neighborhood joggers and PAL baseball and football teams and their games. The school building is in pretty bad shape. If you ever drive along the side street just west of the building, you can really see how bad-off it is. Don't know when the two wings were built, but they seem to be the only decent parts of the school, at least from the outside.

At any rate, the planning is probably only in the early stages. Like MaxDetroit said, the 8th precinct was supposed to be developed into a strip mall but it still sits vacant. I'm not holding my breath for anything to happen anytime soon with the Redford HS site.

**sumas** · August-05-10, 02:23 AM

I am with 1Kielson. I blew my cool when Little Harry's was demolished. Haven't been to ANY Ihop since. The singer, I refuse to listen to, if any of her drivel is played on air, I turn it off.

I am a big history buff but don't believe that if its old, it needs to stay. However, the city targets true gems for demolition, leaving neighborhoods and unsalvagable homes to rot from blight.

**Huggybear** · August-05-10, 06:01 AM

To call Redford High an architectural gem makes me think of homeless people pushing around their carts full of "valuable" possessions. Its front end is a mediocre, fascist-WPA building from the 1930s that was compromised by an heinous addition from the 1960s-1970s. The back end is a 1920s brick box. Somebody remind me what makes this so great? The cape cod former library kitty-corner is, by contrast, something that should be saved.

And the site? We're talking about a 2-story building takes up about 1/10 of the huge site it sits on. Even something like a strip mall would hardly negatively affect the utilization.

At this point [[and in the conceivable future), there is no demand in that area to redevelop a purpose-built school, especially one that under DPS's custody has probably been stripped. Houses are dirt cheap around that school, and there are no attractions in the area to support turning it into residential [[unlike schools downtown). I would submit that it is more important to improve the sad, burned-out retail situation in Old Redford and give people in Old Redford and Rosedale/Grandmont [[no, it's not that far from there) somewhere to shop than it is to hold on to the memory of an empty high school.

**Huggybear** · August-05-10, 06:40 AM

And to people who think that site is not "near" Rosedale Park, here's a quiz - which of the following is closest to it?

[[a) Northland
[[b) Fairlane
[[c) Livonia Mall
[[d) Tel-Twelve
[[e) Redford High School

...hint: since the mid-1980s, when the Crowley's at Grand River and Greenfield closed, there has been no market-rate retail closer than [[a)-[[d). Redford HS is about 1.5 miles.

**daddeeo** · August-05-10, 08:54 AM

That's true. Grand River-Greenfield was a shopper's paradise forty years ago.
Now, there are only a few stores in a strip mall.
The old Montgomery Wards and Federal's buildings sit there like tombstones for the neighborhood.
The Lahser and Grand River intersection [[nearby) doesn't offer much. The Redford Theater offers some entertainment on weekends but that isn't much.
There used to be a Morley candy store nearby.
Cunninghams on the corner is long gone and the office buildings on the southwest side burnt down. Not a pretty sight.
.

**detroitbred** · August-05-10, 09:25 AM

I went to Redford, and this makes me very sad. It is still a viable building, but apparently there is no need or use for it. I agree in part with Huggy, not exactly an historical gem, but the oldest parts of the building and inside those areas did have a certain charm, nice woodwork features, etc. The addition is indeed ugly! My dad went there too, he was born in 1923. I just can't picture a strip mall there.......aren't there enough strip malls in the world? Sigh...........

**econ expat** · August-05-10, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Huggybear

And to people who think that site is not "near" Rosedale Park, here's a quiz - which of the following is closest to it?

[[a) Northland
[[b) Fairlane
[[c) Livonia Mall
[[d) Tel-Twelve
[[e) Redford High School

...hint: since the mid-1980s, when the Crowley's at Grand River and Greenfield closed, there has been no market-rate retail closer than [[a)-[[d). Redford HS is about 1.5 miles.

A geography test? OK.

Well, I don't know if that was in reference to my earlier post....
But read again- I never said[[nor thought)that Redford HS was in Rosedale but always knew Rosedale Park was nearby.[[adjacent to the Old Redford neighborhood) So is Brightmoor. Can't recall Rosedale Park's association[[s) claimang their neighborhood extended almost to Lahser Rd [[horrors! ) I believe part of Rosedale was in the Cooley HS district.

Yes, I also went to Redford HS.
Agreed, the building exterior showed no historical value. [[some of the interior still dated to the 20's, though.) That school was so crowded that DPS finally added on, in the mid 70's, a little too late.....In recent years, they spent a million[[+) on the track and athletic field just a year or 2 before the school was closed.

The former library was built early 20's as the Redford Twp. Hall. After the newer library opened on Grand River, the old library became an African Studies Center. I wonder if that building became property of DPS and will be demolished also?

**reddog289** · August-05-10, 10:43 PM

I work for a suburban school district and one of the two schools I work at is now closed.My school is in an area where I doubt that it would ever reopen as a school again. I have many great memories of the place as it was where I met my wife.
If they decided to build houses on that site it would be a lot nicer then having to look at an empty boarded up school house.But that is unlikey to happen also.
I remember that area as a busy neighborhood as a youth, Old Redford that is.Plus the fact that Redford High has been closed for over a year does not help it,s cause.There are codes that need to be followed when reopening schools that have been closed and in cases with the older buildings it would be cost prohibitive.
As for the strip mall idea I will belive that when I see it, And it too will end up half empty in a year.

**oldredfordette** · August-05-10, 11:05 PM

Daddeo, that was never a Morleys. That was Masters Candy, run by a local candy. I can still smell the fresh chocolate when I think about it.

I don't look back at my time at Redford High School with much joy, but I think that facility, and particularly the Library building next door, deserve better than demolition. The original building, built in the early 20's, was very beautiful, but asbestos encrusted, and the middle building from the 40's, was very very beautiful. Shame to see the state of it.

I understand the Grand River-Lahser area is coming around - I'd love to see that happen.

**barnesfoto** · August-06-10, 12:30 AM

"I don't look back at my time at RHS with much joy". Well, that's a polite way to put it.
The most fun I ever had at that place was when I was 8 or 9 years old and they were prepping to build the ugly triangle shaped east wing, which was then billed as the "Graphic Arts Wing". My friends and I snuck into many of the empty houses on Westbrook before they were moved or demoed in what was perhaps my earliest "urban exploring" adventures.

While the place may not be stunning on the outside, it had a certain charm inside, and I think that one thing that I got out of a DPS education was an appreciation for majestic architecture. In fact, I think that a beautiful school building can be very inspiring. The school system in my current city is under fire for spending lots of money on stunningly beautiful new school buildings; perhaps because some folks think that schools should not be beautiful or inspiring. Bullshit!

Another thing that I got was invaluable: I learned to recognize incompetent administration. By the time I got to RHS, the "Graphic Arts" department was no more, nor was there wood shop or much of a Music Department, [[lack of funds) but there was money for the DPS to acquire and demo the entire block of homes behind the previously mentioned library, [[They never ended up using that land) and there was money for Lonnie Bates and other parasitic school board members to ride around the city in limousines.

The retail strip at GR and Lahser looked worse than ever when I visited last month. Whatever it takes to bring back some retail to the area, I guess, but I have a hard time believing that a strip mall is going to change much.

**Huggybear** · August-06-10, 06:31 AM

Originally Posted by barnesfoto

The retail strip at GR and Lahser looked worse than ever when I visited last month. Whatever it takes to bring back some retail to the area, I guess, but I have a hard time believing that a strip mall is going to change much.

Sadly true - but the loss of the triangular building on the SW corner pretty much destroys any last pretext that this is an area with any viable zero lot-line retail.

**Meddle** · August-06-10, 09:42 AM

Something confuses me. I keep hearing that the population is increasing and the birthrate is up. OK, not like the boomers of the 40s and 50s, but up from past years. Yet schools are being closed at increasing rates. Not just in big cities, but in the suburbs and rural areas also. Either consolidated or closed outright.

So, where are the kids going to go to school? Bussed farther away to larger classes? How does that make sense?