After community and alumni outcries, the Detroit district will hold a public meeting this week to address concerns about its planned tear-down of the historic Cooley High School.
Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, will field questions and complaints at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Renaissance High School at 6565 Outer Dr. W. The public may also attend the meeting online.
Vitti said in a statement on Sunday he will detail the district’s commitments to “honor Cooley’s history through the new athletic complex.”
“The hope is that the District can also find ways to partner with alumni and community on future projects at the new athletics complex,” he said.
DPSCD last held community meetings about its plans for the 1928 building in March. At that time, the plans for the full tear-down were shared, according to district officials.
The school closed in 2010. It is now one of Detroit’s largest vacant public school buildings.
After decades left unoccupied, DPSCD announced in 2025 it would turn the site into a $25 million sports complex. The original plans were to keep the building’s main facade. Part of the building would serve as a locker room, weight room, community gathering space, and dedication to alumni. The cost and timeline to complete the preservation made the district change its original plans, Vitti said.
The state gave the district $15 million for the new complex. Those dollars must be used by DPSCD by Sept. 30.
The preservation the district originally intended for the building was not feasible under the timeline of the state grant, Vitti said.
“The District understands that the demolition of an historic high school such as Cooley can be an emotional moment for alumni and the community,” the superintendent said. “We are sensitive to this fact and this is why we are preserving bricks, the bell towers, terra cotta medallions, and entry archways.”
Bricks from the building will be saved to give to alumni, Vitti added, and artifacts will be incorporated into the new complex.
A football field, outdoor track, and green space will be housed in the new complex. The remaining $10 million to complete the project was provided by philanthropic funds raised by the DPSCD Foundation. It is expected to be complete by 2028.
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.