Luckily it was not only a place of tranquility and learning, but a safe zone. Although I hated to see it demolished, the building isnt what makes us great. Students work in the Cass Tech foundry about 1940. The original Cass Technical High School was built in 1922, and for over 80 years, the drab, antiquated eight-story structure was full of thousands of secondary school students.. Confronting Satan in a Dark Spanish Castle. [6][30][31] At the time of demolition, the school building was approximately 830,000 square feet (77,000m2) and weighed more than 100,000 short tons (91,000t). By Emily Badger 3 minute Read. Odessa Career & Technical Early College High School ECISD Home. ALUMNI Registration A new building nearby on Second Avenue was designed in Collegiate Gothic style by Malcolmson and Higginbotham with Albert Kahn as construction architect; construction began in 1916,[6] the cornerstone was laid in 1917,[7] and after delays caused by World War I austerity measures, the building opened in September 1922. It was hugeit took almost a whole square block. 2023 Getty Images. 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. Advertisement Tomlin started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing Off-Broadway. I got along with everyone. First opening as Cass Union School, it moved to its Second Avenue location in 1922. Cass Tech High School (old) - Photos gallery Historic Detroit Cass Tech High School (old) - Photos Cass Tech High School (old) The massive machinery that drove Cass Tech's elevators. Like all stories told about a place by outsiders, those on the inside see things quite differently. Prominent graduates from Cass Technical High School include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. The interior had elaborate tilework, an ornate library, pool, gymnasium, auditorium, and more across its six buildings. Detroiturbex.com is a website and photo project which documents a changing Detroit. Demolition began in December 2010 and was completed in August 2011. Detroit Schools Superintendent Wales C. Martindale visited Europe to learn about their successful technical schools, deciding to adapt their educational model to the new high school in the Cass Union School building. You would ride the bus to school arm to arm sitting on each other back, then wait in all these lines to get in the school. It played a pivotal role in our trajectory. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Check out more photos at historicdetroit.org. Melded together, the kaleidoscopic photos of Detroit reveal a true ghost town. "Red, White, and Cool", Learn how and when to remove this template message, Detroit Public Schools Community District, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, "Search for Public Schools - Cass Technical High School (260110304669)", "Whitmer strips name of slave owner Lewis Cass from state office building", "Cass Technical High School After Closing", "WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: March 28, 2011 THROUGH April 1, 2011", "Michigan MPS Cass, Lewis, Technical High School", "Cass Tech will lose some less popular classes", "The 78 Michigan public high schools with best results on 2019 SAT", "Drum roll: Cass Tech marchers raise enough money to play D.C.", http://michigan-football.com/bb/casstech.html%7C, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=taMxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XKwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=894,4865755&dq=cass+tech+football&hl=en%7C, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QCNAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=i1gMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1499,5915116&dq=cass-technical&hl=en%7C, "Old Cass Tech catches fire: Blaze can't douse hopes of those who want to save it", "The Life and Death of an Iconic Detroit High School", "Cass Tech High School Detroit, MI: Total demolition/abatement", "Modern Furniture & Contemporary Designers, Furniture Store", "Iconic textile designer Ruth Adler Schnee going strong", "Why the Whitney's Humanist, Pro-Diversity Biennial Is a Revelation", "Funeral Details for Arthur Fields - Ira Kaufman Chapel", http://www.trombone-usa.com/rosolino_frank.htm%7CFRANK, "Pat Ivey Strength and Conditioning coach at Mizzou", Cass Tech High School at Detroiturbex.com, Cass Technical photos circa 2009 at Silentbuildings.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cass_Technical_High_School&oldid=1152682443, March 1926: 1st Place National Champions, This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 17:30. The area was like, Did our parents really love us? There were drug dealers, hookersit was skid row. Jumping out the windows to get out of the classrooms, since it wasnt that far down. In July 1942, the top of Detroits city hall was dwarfed by the more modern Penobscot Building in the background. A 1,000-seat auditorium was added in 1930. It remains lovingly cared-for, murals included. [25], A new campus opened in May 2005 in an adjacent lot on Grand River Avenue to the north of the original building. Anne Church in Southwest Detroit a basilica. Today theres a Meijer grocery store on the site. [7] The 1922 building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2011. This CASSmates special edition t-shirt is available in sizes small to 3x. Due to budget cuts, student population shifts, and building deterioration, around 200 public schools have closed in Detroit since 2000. Cass Tech High School (old) - The bridge on the left connects to the High School of Commerce, which was the original Cass Tech. In 2007, a large fire broke out in the old Cass Tech building and it was finally demolished in 2011. Technicians. I remember us hanging out at the police station across the street from school. Cass Tech Lives. I was never fearful going to school because all of them respected Cass Tech as place of higher learning and knew that us kids came from miles away in the dark to go to school each day. Cass students in one of the school's gyms. I have memories of running down the halls and writing my name on the walls. Cass Tech was a proud educational landmark in downtown Detroit. [citation needed] The marching band was also a part of the 2007 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, but was not televised. Was a May Day Attack by Pilgrims a Practice Run for a Massacre? Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. History of Cass Tech High school from its founding to the present day. In the Cass Tech project, images Duce took of the destroyed school were layered with photos from the 1980s and 1990s that came from a box of negatives found in the old yearbook room. Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress best known for her roles in films of the 1970s, such as The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist, and Alice Doesn't Live .more #29 of 77 The Best Actresses to Ever Win Oscars for Best Actress #7 of 100 The Best Living Actresses Over 80 #47 of 76 The Best Oscar Hosts Ever It would have cost around $60.8 million to build today. Now Detroit and its citizens are boldly setting the standard for reinvention, showing how a city can be changed not just for the better but for the different, considering the previous ideal didnt pan out so well. The city was splendid before the advent of the automobile, and later set an example for the nation (if not the world) on how to stoke an economic and social boom. Population and industry in Detroit has declined remarkably in recent years. Crumbling Houses Show the Sad Decline of Detroit. [citation needed], The school's Harp program was established in 1925. (source). (source). The operator of the tank driving school in the East German . It is here is where we pick up the modern narrative of Detroit, the Roger and Me story of a city abandoned by its industry, and collapsing into a pile of rubblebut look again. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. McCollum, Brian (September 2003). [24] Tolan came to be known as the "Midnight Express". Yearbook photos of Diana Ross from Cass Technical High School Diana Ernestine Earle Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. [7] The alumni association announced plans in April 2007 to renovate it as a multi-use center including arts spaces, retail, and residences,[6] but in July 2007 a fire damaged the 1922 section. The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands, Detroit Lives: Part 2 - Music, Motown and Mansions. 2023 Atlas Obscura. The CTMB (marching band), under the direction of Sharon Allen, has performed for Patti LaBelle, Sinbad, and Jay Z as well as various college and university homecomings. Nothing but burnt down homes and empty lots. They may have planned to take everything when the school was going to be demolished, added Duce, but after the demolition got pushed back months, and then years, the items left behind lost all value and werent worth salvaging.. In the Cass Tech project, images Duce took of the destroyed school were layered with photos from the 1980s and 1990s that came from a box of negatives found in the old yearbook room. The Now/Then section about Cass Tech was started back in 2010, before demolition work had begun, a Detroit Urbex contributor who goes by the name Albert Duce explained. Regardless of how you look at it, Detroits been through a lot, and has some battle wounds to show for its fights. Over 90% of the material in the building was recycled for other uses or as backfill. Detroit's March Toward Bankruptcy in 10 Pics, 'Destroying Detroit': 10,000 Homes to Bite Dust. Photo from the Detroit Free Press archives. The school also had an indoor pool and facilities for fencing, table tennis, indoor track and field, and ice skating and hockey. These plans were met with resistance, as many alumni felt the original building would be emotionally difficult to demolish. Ground was broken in 2002, and a ribbon cutting took place three years later in 2005, though the old building was not demolished. This t-shirt will be a great addition to your CT Vibe wardrobe. Comedian, Theatrical producer, Television producer, Record producer, Television producer, Film Producer. When George Floyd was murdered, and racial justice protests swept across the country, she was out in the streets with her camera. Several years after the original Cass Tech High School in downtown Detroit was abandoned, a local photographer sifting through the ruins found decades of the school . By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. The new building, designed by Detroit architect Albert Kahn, began construction in 1916 but, due to wartime shortages, was not completed until 1922 at a final cost of $3.93 million (approximately $50 million today). At the end of the 2009-2010 school year, Cooley High School closed due to budget deficits and decreased enrollment. A fire swept through its floors in 2007, devastating abandoned rooms once filled with life. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. A lot of people felt it was overwhelming with that many people. Some have a story, but we have a legacy. The Detroit Boat Club as it appears today. Check out photos of the building at Detroiturbex.com. Its like a ghost town, right in the middle of what used to be life. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. First built to serve Redford Township, the city later annexed this region and integrated it with the Detroit Public Schools system. Winner will be selected at random on 06/01/2023. Translate Language. Pinterest. In the foreground, the desintegrating old Cass Tech High School that is often featured in media reports on Detroit, eclipsing the snazzy new Cass Tech located immediately . It remains one of few magnet schools in Detroit. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Cass Tech, on the left, was connected via a bridge to the High School of Commerce, right, which had served as the previous home of Cass Tech. After years of abandonment, the decay of Cass Technical High School has reached the point where familiar parts of the building are no longer recognizable. All Rights Reserved. We had hoped to provoke substantive discussion about the school, its past, and its future., Dismantling Cass Tech was a controversial decision. As a result schools and homes which were quickly built to support a growing industry in the 20s and 30s have since been abandoned, subject to arson or demolished. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. Classrooms were left full of desks when the school district abandoned the landmark. This Cass Tech Fine-Art photograph is a photo picture print of a building that holds many memories for the thousands of City of Detroit Cass Tech High School graduates who have walked its corridors. Cass Tech High School (old) Students work on engines in a Cass Tech shop class. Photo taken by Raygirl. ], including the Symphony in B-flat by Paul Hindemith and La Fiesta Mexicana by H. Owen Reed. Cass Technical High School Alumni, Class Reunions, Yearbooks, Technicians Classmates, and more! It is named after Lewis Cass. All rights reserved. These images were then combined with more recent snapshots of the school's ruinous last years, revealing the empty halls and untouched equipment that were left to decay. . We regret the error. Circa 1929. List of famous alumni from Cass Technical High School, with photos when available. I remember the auditorium with graduation ceremonies, plays, and music functions. User Options. Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center - Newport (Newport, NH) White Mountains Regional High School (Whitefield, NH) Wilbur H. Palmer Vocational Technology Center (Hudson, NH) Windham Regional Career Center (Brattleboro, VT) Winnisquam Agricultural Programs (Tilton, NH) Portable Document Format (.pdf) . Detroiturbex is attempting to bring attention to these ghostly remains through a photo project highlighting the city's abandoned buildings. The specter of Michigan Central Station has become emblematic of the dichotomy between Detroits past and present state. Although my parents didnt attend, they understood about it being a college prep and pushed me to go. This directory is not just composed of graduates of this school, as some of the famous people on this list didn't necessarily earn a degree from Cass Technical High School. Pictures from the demolition of the school in 2011. To "raise awareness of the social and economic challenges the city of Detroit," the folks at Detroiturbex decided to tell the story about an abandoned Lewis Cass Technical High School with the help of superimposed then-and-now photos. Photo from 1910-1920. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "casstechnicalhighschool" Flickr tag. [29] The school district listed the building for demolition later that year. Cass Technical High School Opened in 1907, the original Cass Technical High School, commonly referred to as Cass Tech, was located at 2501 Second Avenue in Detroit. The original building was designed Burrowes & Eurich, but there were multiple additions over the subsequent decades. All rights reserved. The swimming pool in the 1980s addition was supposed to be Olympic-size - but contractors used English measurement instead of metric. The Bishops Mansion, Detroits largest residence, sells for $2.7M. At that time, we were the only school with a gymnastics program so I got very involved with that. [1], Of the students attending Cass Technical High School in 202122, 1,832 (76.2%) of them are Black, 277 (11.5%) are Hispanic, 223 (9.3%) are Hispanic, 57 (2,4%) are White, 6 (0.2%) are American Indian or Alaska Native, and 9 (0.4%) are multi-racial. [19], There are beginner, intermediate, advanced and jazz band classes, as well as a marching band. He set world records in the 100-yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. Between the move and the time when the building was torn down, the once majestic building was left to decay. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). RM 2HTHMAD - 1970's photograph of children queuing with baggage luggage for school coach trip, Sweden. After that school was mostly destroyed by a fire, a building for Cass Tech was built on the site and opened in October 1912, but was soon overcrowded. 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