A New Lesson Plan Historic Rehabilitation May Be Part of Solution to Vacant, Unneeded Schools in Detroit

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Tax Credit Advisor, August 2010: It’s no secret that the city of Detroit has been ravaged economically by a seemingly endless recession and declining manufacturing base. In response, many residents have reacted with their feet. As of July 1, 2006, the city had an estimated population of 871,121, a decline of 8.4% from January 2000. Once the fourth-largest city in the U.S., Detroit is now No. 11.

With a smaller population and fewer tax revenues to fund municipal services, Detroit, like a number of other cities nationwide, is trying to figure out what to do with excess public properties that it doesn’t need or can’t afford, including many public schools.

Between 2002 and 2008, the number of students enrolled in the city’s public schools fell from 157,003 to 94,054. The Detroit School District has closed nearly 150 public schools since 2003 and in the past year Ð confronted by a $363 million deficit Ð has sold four schools.

More recently, though, a possible solution to both help in disposing of excess school buildings while triggering economic development appears to be in germinating.

The Michigan State Historic Preservation Review Board has approved plans to nominate 88 of the Detroit’s public schools for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and is shortly expected to submit a formal nomination to the National Park Service. Federal approval of the nomination would open the door to eligibility for the 20% federal historic rehabilitation tax credit for expenditures to renovate these buildings, potentially making some of these properties more attractive to developers.

The impetus for the current initiative began with the city’s Historic Designation Advisory Board, which expended $33,000 and more than a year to collect detailed information and histories about all city schools built before 1960 that are still standing.

The schools to be nominated for listing on the National Register date back as far as the late 1800s, and a number of them have large campuses. They include:

  • M.M. Rose School (1896), 5505 Van Dyke St. One of the oldest schools in Detroit.
  • Lewis Cass Technical Institute (1922), 2421 Second Ave. One of the first public vocational schools in Michigan, this architecturally majestic building became obsolete when a modern new Cass Tech High School was built across the street.
  • John J. Pershing High School (1929), 18875 Ryan Rd. Named after the Army general chosen by President Wilson to command the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I.

One developer who has been renovating local schools into mixed-use projects is Detroit resident Joel Landy. Among other things, he has renovated several buildings that made up the former Burton School into a new commercial development. Among the tenants so far are a theater/entertainment venue, a nonprofit organizations, and artist studios.

(For interactive map showing photos and locations of the 88 schools, go to http://detnews.com/article/20100705/ SPECIAL01/100702003/1026/Interactive- map–Detroit-s-historic-schools)