Detroit school district scraps plan to save part of Cooley High, moves to full demolition

Cooley High School, a landmark on Detroit's west side for nearly a century, is being torn down after years of vacancy left the historic building too deteriorated to save.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District confirmed demolition is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. The school opened in 1928 and closed in 2010.

DPSCD had previously considered preserving part of the building as the site was redeveloped, but the district ultimately decided to move forward with full demolition. Years of vacancy, vandalism and fires had badly deteriorated the structure.

The district said the demolition will eliminate blight and a source of crime in the neighborhood.

Once the building comes down, DPSCD plans to develop the Cooley Athletic Complex on the site. According to the district, the complex will include a walking track, basketball courts and youth soccer, lacrosse and football fields. A new Cody High School football stadium is also planned as part of the project.

The district said historic artifacts from the building have already been preserved, including the bell towers and entrance and will be incorporated into the new complex. Cooley state championships will also be honored at the site. DPSCD said it has already shared a process for alumni and community members to reserve bricks from the building.

The demolition is part of a broader challenge DPSCD faces with aging school buildings across the district.

"Despite investing $700 million, we still today have a $1.2 billion facility challenge," said DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti.

Vitti made those remarks about the district's facilities overall, not about Cooley specifically.

"If we wanted to make all of our schools brand new, which we obviously do, and that's what children and staff deserve, we don't have funding to do that," Vitti said.