Old Cass Tech To Be Torn Down
DETROIT (WWJ) - The Detroit high school that graduated such famous stars as Diana Ross, rocker Jack White and comedienne Lily Tomlin will begin coming down, Wednesday.
The Detroit Public Schools says demolition will get underway at 10 a.m. on the old Cass Technical High School. Crews will begin work on the extension built at the school in 1981 that housed the cafeteria and the athletic wing. In June, they'll begin the tear down of the rest of the 90-year-old building.
Until 1977, Cass was Detroit's only magnet school and the only non-neighborhood enrollment school in Detroit. Today, Cass is one of few magnet schools in Detroit.
Construction began in 2002 on the new Cass Tech, located directly north of the old building. During the 2005–2006 school year, Cass Tech faculty, students and staff moved into the new building.
In December of 2009, the old school was listed among fourteen vacant buildings slated for demolition under a $33 million plan unveiled by the Detroit Public Schools and funded by bond programs approved by voters.
"Vacant schools across Detroit have been blights on the community and safety hazards for far too long," said DPS Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb, in a statement. "Thanks to the taxpayers of Detroit … we can now move forward with substantially changing the landscape of the city and remove these long-standing eyesores," he said.
What do you think about the demolition of Cass Tech? Do you have memories of the old school? Comment below.
