Cass, Mackenzie, Finney among schools slated for demolition starting this fall

[R8RBOB]

DPS should have knock the old Cass Tech after the new one opened. The fact that they have a football field at New Cass Tech which is unusable only validate this. They should have gutted the inside of old Cass Tech and did a complete redo but the TPTB want glass and steel futuristic schools not turn of the century ruins.

[Hypestyles]

...preserve the archways/doorways? where are they going to go? Henry Ford museum?

[detroiturbex]

...preserve the archways/doorways? where are they going to go? Henry Ford museum?

They are to be "warehoused" for future use.

[sumas]

Yes those are the pictures of the Finney fence. It was really creepy. I still live in the area and while the school was still open there would be a parked but empty police car in front of the fencing for that courtyard.

I am big on preservation but that school was a shit hole. A few really good teachers and the rest were terrible. The principals were almost hilarious in that they were so bad. Clueless comes to mind.

I found out I was listed on their "subversive" list my senior year. AKA something like Nixon's style. For the life of me I can't figure that one out, but was and still am strangely pleased. I was the yearbook editor and did pick a cover that showed a black and white hand embracing each other in a clasp. Maybe that was it.

Others on the board lived in the area. I've recounted the Finney race riot and other tales already. No need to repeat them.

[Detroitnerd]

They are to be "warehoused" for future use.

I'm sure they'll be safe and sound in the leaky basement of some warehouse.

[Bluenote132003]

Grew up right across the street from Finney, Harvard and Frankfort. Didn't have to go there, thank God! Is the whole thing going to be demo'd? The original grade school had been used as Cannon Rec Center for a while [[a loooong time ago, at least), great architecture on the oldest part, there have been pics posted from when it was first built. Too bad they couldn't save at least that part. I remember the ball fields being full every night in the summer with softball leagues, band wagon concerts in the side parking lot...

[xphillipjrx]

My dad taught at McKenzie in the 80s and he taught at Finney until he retired.

[detroiturbex]

Cannon Rec center is in bad shape. The gym is ok, but the rooms around it have a lot of water damage.

[jt1]

The city should hire Farrow Group to do the demos on these schools. The city would save a ton a money since this contractor likes working for free, and will make their money selling all the scrap steel like they did with Tiger Stadium.

How pathetic, if it wasn't for those idiots working for free we would still have Tiger Stadium

That is common for structures that contain a significant amount os steel/metal. They did not work for free - they worked for the assets [[metal) that could be recovered from the site. I have worked with large companies who dispose of their manufacturing facilities based upon cheap/zero cost due to the recovered metal.

'Those idiots' had nothing to do with TS being torn down. They performed their job as stated in the contract. I would say the 'idiots are people that still whine about a structure that could not be saved being torn down. Sorry, TS did not have a viable plan. Why don't the 'idiots' get up in arms when every other city demolishes their old stadiums?

[Jared9903]

The Doorways on Second should be salvaged like they did with the Packard plant,especially the northern entrance with the Cass Tech School and date on it.Also,some of the interior marble and granite should be salvaged as they are irreplaceable.Also,some of the old clocks that graced the walls should be salvaged too.Maybe even the doorway that let you out onto Vernor Hwy.tooTher was a huge portrait of Blueboy that used to be in the lunchroom up on the 7th floor if I recall correctly should also be kept and prominently displayed,if it isn't already.

What happened to the doors on Packard? are they just in a warehouse somewhere?

[313WX]

MacKenzie High School? Cass Tech? Noooooooooooooooo! Detroit, you're making me crazy!

Finney.....OK. That one's a disaster. So where's the far east side public HS now?

Either the new Finney [[Mack/Chalmers area, former McNair middle I believe), Denby or Osborn.

[Gsgeorge]

Cannon Rec center is in bad shape. The gym is ok, but the rooms around it have a lot of water damage.

Wow! Skatepark, anyone?

[Bluenote132003]

Oops, memory's a little off. Here's the original school facade, and also the Canon Rec Center, which was added on later. This is the opposite side from Cadieux.

[EastsideAl]

The biggest shame of the Cass situation is that they had already built a new building replacing Cass, which has been functioning as Cass Tech since 2005. But I'd bet that most people out side of Detroit, and a lot inside, don't know that, since all they can see from the freeway is the Cass they always knew sitting there abandoned, stripped, and blown-out.

So now the image that Cass has is not of the city's academic gem, of students from modest and poor backgrounds trying to make the best of themselves, but that of yet another large piece of vacant, abandoned and destroyed local history set out there for all to see. And the students who attended the new Cass have had to walk around that building for the past several years, and go to school next to a giant abandoned hulk, dangerously open to trespass, and occupied by goodness know who. All of this was avoidable.

..preserve the archways/doorways? where are they going to go? Henry Ford museum?

Try the Detroit Historical Museum. They are after all the doors of a building that was the city's premier high school for over 80 years, in a direct lineage of schools that can trace its origins back to Lewis Cass himself. Archways through which passed in their youth many of the most important and famous people ever to come from our city in such fields as politics, academia, business, technology, religion, art, music, acting, etc. In addition to being part of our architectural history as parts of a building designed by Malcomson & Higgenbotham, who were the architects for many important buildings throughout Michigan.

[bailey]

The biggest shame of the Cass situation is that they had already built a new building replacing Cass, which has been functioning as Cass Tech since 2005. But I'd bet that most people out side of Detroit, and a lot inside, don't know that, since all they can see from the freeway is the Cass they always knew sitting there abandoned, stripped, and blown-out.

Perhaps now the new Cass can have a football field that is state compliant ?

[EastsideAl]

Perhaps now the new Cass can have a football field that is state compliant ?

Perhaps. At least they could do something better with the land that the useless one they built sits on, like turn it back into a general purpose athletic field for various sports like they had before.

But I'm really not at all sure why Cass now needs its own football field. As a downtown school they never had one during all the years I went there, my sister went there, most of my cousins went there, and my mother and grandmother went there. In fact, since it was supposed to be an academic and vocational school, I don't think they even had a football team back when my Mom was in school there. Later, during the time I was there, the football team was very competitive, despite playing their home games elsewhere [[Belle Isle during my time).

[jackie5275]

Naturally, all the dates and locations are subject to change, as DPS and deadlines don't seem to work out. Does anyone with experience dealing with RFP's know how seriously they follow through on these?

Depending on how many staff they have in Purchasing to evaluate the bids, it can be quite lengthy. Most gov't Purchasing offices have buyers/purchasing agents assignments by commodity. All these RFP's might be handled by one buyer. That buyer would have to evaluate them all, come up with a recommended vendor for all, some combined, or one each, send it to the Purchasing director for approval. If approved by the Purchasing director, it can then go through the City's contract approval process. Just getting it out of Purchasing can take 2-3 months depending on the complexity of the RFP, the vendors' responses, & the buyer's other assignments. My past experience with something like this can take 6-8 months to go through the whole approval process. Then the contract can be awarded, & the work will start.

[szla]

My heart really is saddened by the Mackenzie demo. Took drivers ed there a long time and got to see the inside. The facade Is beautiful. If you never seen it take a tour there before the demo. I thought it was the prettiest one after Cooley.

[Zacha341]

Argh.... this is deluxe, DE-LUX water damage to the flooring... looks almost like a surreal Photoshop effect. Sad.

Cannon Rec center is in bad shape. The gym is ok, but the rooms around it have a lot of water damage.

[Zacha341]

Indeed the Machenzie building is beautiful. And Mackenzie has a very strong alumni group that host a large annual summer time picnic. I guess they will continue to gather in the grass sans the building...

My heart really is saddened by the Mackenzie demo. Took drivers ed there a long time and got to see the inside. The facade Is beautiful. If you never seen it take a tour there before the demo. I thought it was the prettiest one after Cooley.

[Zacha341]

I know little about football except that an oval ball is thrown/ or worked between two goals things - one to another despite opposition of the apposing team....

That being said the Cass Tech field looked too small to me. I went to Murray-Wright which had a very ample field and seemed wider between those goal things. Significantly so. It is dangerous for players play on such a tiny field? Could the players injure themselves more? Why/ how size compliance ignored?

Perhaps. At least they could do something better with the land that the useless one they built sits on, like turn it back into a general purpose athletic field for various sports like they had before.

But I'm really not at all sure why Cass now needs its own football field. As a downtown school they never had one during all the years I went there, my sister went there, most of my cousins went there, and my mother and grandmother went there. In fact, since it was supposed to be an academic and vocational school, I don't think they even had a football team back when my Mom was in school there. Later, during the time I was there, the football team was very competitive, despite playing their home games elsewhere [[Belle Isle during my time).

[Barbara_10]

Indeed the Machenzie building is beautiful. And Mackenzie has a very strong alumni group that host a large annual summer time picnic. I guess they will continue to gather in the grass sans the building...

Do you have a link to the alumni website?
Thanks.

[Zacha341]

No, I don't have an info on high school alumni sites. Murray-Wright and Mack where sports rivals years back so we tend to keep up with each other from word of mouth. I avoid all high school alumni sites as too often the sites or persons want you to 'join' some network and be sold stuff or plied for MLM, down-line building, commisionny sales crud... etc. Or the new scam of 'voice' text advertising where you give some group your phone number [[land or mobile) and start getting these talking 'text' message advertisements for products or sales scams.... eccck.

Do you have a link to the alumni website?
Thanks.

[Barbara_10]

No, I don't have an info on high school alumni sites. Murray-Wright and Mack where sports rivals years back so we tend to keep up with each other from word of mouth. I avoid all high school alumni sites as too often the sites or persons want you to 'join' some network and be sold stuff or plied for MLM, down line building crud... etc. Or the new scam of 'voice' text advertising where you give some group your phone number [[land or mobile) and then you start getting these talking 'text' message advertisements for products or sales scams.... eck.

I lurked on Mack's alumni site ,years ago, and was never contacted. Then my computer crashed, and I lost the site.
Thanks for the reply.

[Bobl]

Funny....I was going there for summer school in 1965 or '66, and it was not brand spanking new then.

I stand corrected. I always thought it was brand new, back in the sixties. Summer School? I hated it. Algebra one year, and religion....yes, religion, another, the one year I attended parochial high school!