John Grace School

Last updated
John Grace School
John Grace School 1969.jpg
John Grace School in 1969
USA Michigan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
John Grace School
Interactive map
Location21030 Indian St., Southfield, Michigan
Coordinates 42°26′44″N83°18′42″W / 42.44556°N 83.31167°W / 42.44556; -83.31167 Coordinates: 42°26′44″N83°18′42″W / 42.44556°N 83.31167°W / 42.44556; -83.31167
Built1921 (1921)
ArchitectVan Leyen, Schilling, & Keough; Jensen & Keough; Dolgner, Rollason & Rokicki
Architectural style Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No. 100008828 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 6, 2023

The John Grace School, also known as the District No. 9 Public School or the John Grace Park and Community Center, is a former school located at 21030 Indian Street in Southfield, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. [1]

Contents

History

The residents of Southfield Township first organized their school districts in 1824. The township was divided into ten separate districts, plus four fractional districts eventually combined with neighboring townships. Each district built their own one-room schoolhouse for students through grade 8; District 9 constructed its school on Beech Road. In 1921, District 9 decided to replace the previous school with a new brick building designed by the Detroit architectural firm Van Leyen, Shilling, & Keough. This original building was a single story tall and contained four ungraded classrooms. [2]

In 1929, a second story containing an additional four classrooms was added onto the existing building. A rear addition was constructed in 1942. In 1947, the Southfield school districts were consolidated, and the John Grace School was used as an elementary school by the consolidated district. A 1949 addition added a kindergarten room, kitchen, and storage to the building. Due to expanding population in the area, more additions were constricted in 1953, 1958, and 1962. [2]

However, by the 1970s, declining population in the area decreased the student attendance, and the school was closed in 1980. The City of Southfield took possession of the building in 1985, and turned it into a branch library and community center. The community center was closed in 2017. [2]

As of 2022, the city of Southfield was considering renovating the building into affordable senior housing. [3]

Description

The John Grace School is a red brick Colonial Revival structure, composed of a central two-story section and six one-story additions. The main structure and the additions create an E-shaped footprint. [2]

The front of the two-story section has a narrow, slightly protruding central bay containing the entrance. Wide classroom bays are on each side. Brick soldier courses run across the facade at the second-floor windowsill and lintel levels; an additional limestone band is at the second-floor windowsill level. Limestone also caps the parapet wall. [2]

The central entrance bay contains a limestone arched opening housing two doors. A limestone arched spandrel, engraved with "District No. 9 Public School," is above the door transoms. The second floor level contains a pair of windows. A pediment above contains and engraved limestone plaque reading "John Grace School." The wide classroom bays on each side contain large openings on both floors with seven windows each. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar Hill Historic District (Detroit)</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Sugar Hill Historic District is a historic district in Detroit, Michigan. It contains 14 structures located along three streets: East Forest, Garfield, and East Canfield, between Woodward Avenue on the west and John R. on the east. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alamo Plaza Historic District</span> Historic district in Texas, United States

The Alamo Plaza Historic District is an historic district of downtown San Antonio in the U.S. state of Texas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It includes the Alamo, which is a separately listed Registered Historic Place and a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass–Davenport Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Cass–Davenport Historic District is a historic district containing four apartment buildings in Detroit, Michigan, roughly bounded by Cass Avenue, Davenport Street, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The Milner Arms Apartments abuts, but is not within, the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit–Columbia Central Office Building</span> United States historic place

The Detroit–Columbia Central Office Building is a building located at 52 Selden Street in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the Michigan Bell Telephone Exchange. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson Intermediate School</span> United States historic place

The Jefferson Intermediate School is a school building located at 938 Selden Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as Jefferson Junior High School or Jefferson School. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Cass Park Historic District is a historic district in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, consisting of 25 buildings along the streets of Temple, Ledyard, and 2nd, surrounding Cass Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and designated a city of Detroit historic district in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Newberry Nurses Home</span> United States historic place

The Helen Newberry Nurses Home is a multi-unit residential building located at 100 East Willis Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, and is now the Newberry Hall Apartments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson–Chalmers Historic Business District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Jefferson–Chalmers Historic Business District is a neighborhood located on East Jefferson Avenue between Eastlawn Street and Alter Road in Detroit, Michigan. The district is the only continuously intact commercial district remaining along East Jefferson Avenue, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William O. Douglas Federal Building</span> Historic building in Washington, United States

The William O. Douglas Federal Building is a historic post office, courthouse, and federal office building located at Yakima in Yakima County, Washington. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Renamed in 1978, it was previously known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, and is listed under that name in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redford Township District No. 5 School</span> United States historic place

The Redford Township District No. 5 School is a school building located at 18499 Beech Daly Road in Redford, Michigan. After 1923, the school was known as the Redford Union District No. 1 School, and the building was also called the Beech Road School. It is now known as the John C. Raeside Administration Building. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1994 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKinley Elementary School (Davenport, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

McKinley Elementary School is located on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenfield Union School</span> United States historic place

The Greenfield Union School is a school located at 420 West 7 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan. A part of Detroit Public Schools (DPS), the school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tushiyah United Hebrew School – Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church</span> United States historic place

The Tushiyah United Hebrew School, later known as the Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, is an educational building located at 609 East Kirby Street in Detroit, Michigan. This building, an important work of architect Isadore M. Lewis, was constructed as the Tushiyah United Hebrew School and served as the headquarters of the United Hebrew Schools of Detroit. It later served as the Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, the first mainline African-American Methodist Episcopal church in Detroit. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argos Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in Indiana, United States

Argos Downtown Historic District is a national historic district located at Argos, Marshall County, Indiana. The district encompasses 21 contributing buildings in the central business district of Argos. It developed between about 1867 and 1942, and includes examples of Italianate, Romanesque Revival, and Neoclassical style architecture. Notable buildings include the Reed Block (1891), Williams Inn (1838), IOOF #263 Hall (1901-1907), Corner Hardware Building (1883), Argos Reflector Building / GAR Hall, Argos Theater, Sarber Building (1892-1898), Old Argos Opera House / Huff Block (1887-1892), Pickerl Block, Argos Municipal Building (1940), Farmers State Bank Block (1917), Argos Masonic Lodge #399 / Grossman Building (1906), Schoonover Building, and Pickerl Residence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Manchester Historic District</span> Historic district in Indiana, United States

North Manchester Historic District is a national historic district located at North Manchester, Wabash County, Indiana. It encompasses 159 contributing buildings in the central business district and surrounding residential sections of North Manchester. It developed between about 1870 and 1938, and includes representative examples of Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Bungalow / American Craftsman style architecture. Located in the district are the separately listed Lentz House, Noftzger-Adams House, and North Manchester Public Library. Other notable buildings include the John Lavey House (1874), Horace Winton House, Agricultural Block (1886), Moose Lodge (1886), North Manchester City Hall, Masonic Hall (1907), Zion Lutheran Church (1882), and North Manchester Post Office (1935).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearborn City Hall Complex</span> United States historic place

The Dearborn City Hall Complex is a complex of three government buildings located at 13615 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan. The complex includes the 1921 Dearborn City Hall, the 1929 Police and Municipal Courts Building, and an office/auditorium concourse addition constructed in 1981. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starkweather School</span> United States historic place

Starkweather School is an educational building located at 550 North Holbrook Street in Plymouth, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. It is the only school from its time still extant in Plymouth, and the only school in Plymouth designed by Malcomson and Higginbotham, who designed numerous schools for the Detroit school district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKinley Elementary School (Wyandotte, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

McKinley Elementary School is a former school building located at 640 Plum Street in Wyandotte, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bingham School (Alpena, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

Bingham School is a former elementary school located at 555 South 5th Avenue in Alpena, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company Detroit Warehouse</span> United States historic place

The Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company Detroit Warehouse is a warehouse located at 6045 John C. Lodge Service Drive in Detroit. It is the only known building in Michigan designed by architect Francis W. Fitzpatrick. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List: 2023-04-07". National Park Service. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kristine Kidorf (September 2022), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: John Grace School
  3. ↑ "John Grace Revitalization Plan" (PDF). City of Southfield. March 21, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.