In addition to a specialized curriculum, Cass Tech offers college pathway courses in arts and communication, business management, marketing and technology, engineering, manufacturing and technology, health sciences, natural resources and agriscience, and human services. Cass Tech Apparel - Cass Tech Shop Photo from the Walter P. Reuther Library. Under his baton, the concert band performed twice at the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic, and played literature at a level far beyond that normally performed by a public high school band[according to whom? Taken between 1900 and 1920, this photo shows the reading room in the Detroit Public Library. Odessa Career & Technical Early College High School ECISD Home. Cass Union Schools president, Benjamin F. Comfort, suggested that fewer students would drop out if they were given vocational training that they could use in Detroits growing factories. By Emily Badger 3 minute Read. It was hugeit took almost a whole square block. Jumping out the windows to get out of the classrooms, since it wasnt that far down. Architecturally, I thought it was beautiful. Comments (-1) OCTECHS Newsletter: Champions Chronicals. Old Cass Tech and Michigan Central Station. Everything from Diana Ross to Lily Tomlin is included on this list. Check out more photos at historicdetroit.org. Cass Tech High School: Detroit's Unsung Bastion of Music Education A Legacy of Place: Cass Tech High School TELL Legacy Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. [14] Cass Tech students' strong academic performances draw recruiters from across the country, including Ivy League representatives eager to attract the top minority applicants. In 2008, the band performed at Texas Southern University. (source). While Detroit architecture and culture has indeed suffered, much remains, and there are many who work fiercely to protect it. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Looking north up Grand River on April 17, 2009, at Cass Tech and its 1980s addition. Regardless of how you look at it, Detroits been through a lot, and has some battle wounds to show for its fights. Built in a style of gothic construction at the beginning of the 20th century, Cass Tech was a symbol of success for one of Detroits only magnet schools; it was demolished in 2011. Between the move and the time when the building was torn down, the once majestic building was left to decay. OC hosted a roundtable discussion about industry and workforce ready graduates. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Detroiturbex.com - Lewis Cass Technical High School Photo from 1910-1920. . An Abandoned Detroit School, Now And Then. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Photo Galleries. Sep 20, 2021 - Cass Tech High School (old) - Old photos gallery Historic Detroit. [16] In 2021, U.S. News ranked Cass Tech 84th among Michigan high schools, and reported a 62.9% percentile score on the SAT. Detroiturbex.com - Cass Technical High School: Now and Then In 1950 Detroit was the city of tomorrow. Everythingsonsaletoday As a building on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the original structure was left in place, however a large fire gutted it in 2007. We regret the error. Despite the demolition of the old building, Cass Tech lives on in a new building. In Brooklyn, New York City circa 1977. The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australias Wetlands, Detroit Lives: Part 2 - Music, Motown and Mansions. It was huge: eight stories with an elevator that been around for decades. The Main Building of the Detroit Public Library as it appears today. Don't miss a beat. This t-shirt will be a great addition to your CT Vibe wardrobe. Then-and-Now Photos of Abandoned Detroit School | Bored Panda Cass Tech's band practices on the auditorium stage. I remember us hanging out at the police station across the street from school. The Detroit skyline and boats on the Detroit River as seen from Windsor, during the heyday of rum-running. (source). Detroiturbex.com is a website and photo project which documents a changing Detroit. In addition to being one of Detroits highest performing schools, Cass Tech was also a historical landmark with an illustrious list of famous alumni like Alice Coltrane, Diana Ross, David Alan Grier, and Big Sean to name a few. Applications continued to surge until finally the City Council was able to find the money for a new building for Cass Tech. When George Floyd was murdered, and racial justice protests swept across the country, she was out in the streets with her camera. When Detroits Cass Technical High School was closed in 2005 in order to move to a new building next door, the city was scheduled to lose one of its unofficial landmarks. [citation needed] The marching band was also a part of the 2007 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, but was not televised. While the new building was set to cost $98 million, the old schools restoration was expected to total $117 million. Learn more. RM JJJGNY - Benneckenstein, Germany. Photo from 1910-1920. Cass Tech High School (old) - Demolition photos gallery Historic The building is still standing but deteriorated from fires, scraping, and vandalism. The specter of Michigan Central Station has become emblematic of the dichotomy between Detroits past and present state. A 3D look inside the 1922 building. In 2017, when I came back, a piece of me died inside. McCollum, Brian (September 2003). [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. Cass Tech could hold about 5,000 studentsthats about 1,500 kids in every grade. The largest residence in Wayne County is now the most expensive sale in Detroit this year. In 2000, the Detroit Public School District announced plans for construction of the current modern Cass Tech building, which was built in 2004. The most striking aspect of the Now and Then series is that the classrooms remained almost unchanged after the building was abandoned, still equipped with computers and furniture. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Even so, we loved it. Detroits copper and brass rolling mills. (source). 163 Cass Technical High School Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 163 Cass Technical High School Premium High Res Photos User Options. 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. Pictured here in 1905. The building is there but its dilapidated, its burned down. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe . Explore. [citation needed] In 2013 CTMB went to the 2013 inauguration for President Barack Obama. Michigan; Cass Tech High School; . This page is not available in other languages. He set world records in the 100-yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. Sep 20, 2021 - Cass Tech High School (old) - Old photos gallery Historic Detroit. Redford High, before it was demolished. [29] The school district listed the building for demolition later that year. Additionally, signs of new life in Detroit continue to spring up right along side the reminders of the citys blighted past, such as in the case of the new and old Cass Tech High Schools. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the automobile hadnt been invented. Photo by Dan Austin of HistoricDetroit.org. First built to serve Redford Township, the city later annexed this region and integrated it with the Detroit Public Schools system. Richard L. LaVoie. The Bishops Mansion, Detroits largest residence, sells for $2.7M. Students work in the Cass Tech foundry about 1940. In 2005 the main building was abandoned with the remaining students occupying an adjacent addition. It played a pivotal role in our trajectory. Due to budget cuts, student population shifts, and building deterioration, around 200 public schools have closed in Detroit since 2000. 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 . The Detroit Boat Club as it appears today. Luckily it was not only a place of tranquility and learning, but a safe zone. All rights reserved. Although I hated to see it demolished, the building isnt what makes us great. Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer, actress, and record producer. Circa 1929. Cass Tech High School (old) - Old photos | Cass tech, Detroit history Cass Tech High School (old) - Demolition photos gallery Historic Detroit R Rod kurowski 8 followers More information Cass Tech High School (old) - Demolition photos gallery Historic Detroit City Skyline Casino Hotel Wrecking Ball Demolition Photo Galleries High School Tech High School Tech More information . 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. The operator of the tank driving school in the East German . The police never bothered us. So present was this dream that much of the art, culture and history of Detroit was paved over with auto money in a race to escape the city of tomorrow. [7] The 1922 building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2011. Famous Cass Technical High School Alumni - Ranker At that time, we were the only school with a gymnastics program so I got very involved with that. I was amazed at the school. History is cyclical, and its affect on Detroit will be no exception. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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. [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. Media outlets have labeled the once thriving Motor City "a ghost town," referencing the dilapidated ruins of buildings that remain untouched in parts of Michigan's largest city. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. Also, many of these schools were architectural gems designed by some of the citys most renowned firms and designers. [19], There are beginner, intermediate, advanced and jazz band classes, as well as a marching band. Slate is published by The Slate Turn on desktop notifications for breaking news. Detroit Urbex: Using photomontage to compare the history of Cass Tech casstechnicalhighschool photos on Flickr | Flickr Pep band makes their way through a crowd. Elizabeth Beale (www.elizabethbeale.com) for HistoricDetroit.org. The venerable Second Avenue facade of Cass Tech High School. From a bridge to Canada to a building that could change the skyline, here are the biggest development projects in the works in Detroit. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. In high school, she was on the swim team, Y-Teens, and a hall guard. The original swimming pool, which was closed after the addition was added in the 1980s. Transcending: Detroits monument to the labor movement. 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. Don't Call It a Comeback: Detroit's History in Photos But slowly, the world caught up and Detroits city of tomorrow became more and more a relic of the past. [12], Cass offers over twenty advanced placement courses including language composition, history, chemistry, calculus, and physics. The past few decades haven't treated Detroit well. This part of the website blends pictures from the past with the current state today. 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. The massive machinery that drove Cass Tech's elevators. Melded together, the kaleidoscopic photos of Detroit reveal a true ghost town. RF T09F84 - High angle view of a vintage camera, film, photo paper and light meter. All these neighborhoods were occupied, now all of houses in the neighborhoods are gone. The school board argued that it would cost more to renovate the structure than to build a brand-new one, citing problems with the buildings outdated electrical, heating, and plumbing systems, the undersized gymnasium and library, as well as the leaking roofs. Cass Tech High School . Comments (-1) The Workforce of Tomorrow Roundtable. Check out photos of the building at Detroiturbex.com. Even if your parents were dogging you, you had your friends at school that you could hang out with and would always look out for each other. [citation needed] He was the first African-American to receive the title of the "world's fastest human" after winning gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters events at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Cass Technical High School | Detroit Historical Society 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. The hallway would be packed, the lunchroom would be packed, but you loved it. Classrooms were left full of desks when the school district abandoned the landmark. 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. Tomlin started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing Off-Broadway. Photo from the Walter P. Reuther Library. Richard L. LaVoie 06/10/1944 - 03/21/2023 Richard L. LaVoie was born in 1944 in Detroit, MI to parents, Harold and Stella LaVoie. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The school also had an indoor pool and facilities for fencing, table tennis, indoor track and field, and ice skating and hockey. . Today. To get a sense of what it was like to go to some of these closed or demolished schools, we spoke with alumni who attended three of them. An aerial view of Cass Tech on April 17, 2009. Named in honor of Lewis Cass, the school was located on the top floor of the old Cass Union School, a three-story brick building built in 1861 on a farm donated by Lewis Cass. Opened in 1907, the original Cass Technical High School, commonly referred to as Cass Tech, was located at 2501 Second Avenue in Detroit. Although my parents didnt attend, they understood about it being a college prep and pushed me to go. Diana Ross Yearbook Photo & School Pictures | Classmates This list of distinguished Cass Technical High School alumni is loosely ordered by relevance, so the most recognizable celebrities who attended Cass Technical High School are at the top of the list. Many locally and nationally known figures are counted among its graduates including Diana Ross, John DeLorean, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Anderson (aka Big Sean), Lily Tomlin, Peter Karmanos, and David Alan Grier. Nearly every classroom in the school was left filled with desks, supplies and equipment. Present-day Detroit from the same vantage point. 1 of 21 Detroiturbex Abandoned Detroit School Given Life Through Photos In the Spring of 2006 the new Cass Tech High School, being built next door (out of view to the right side of this photograph) opened its doors. Celebrate the year you became a full-fledge Cass Technical High School CASSmate! Your culture and entertainment cheat-sheet. [6][8][9] By 1942 the school had more than 4,500 students and was the largest in Michigan. This CASSmates special edition t-shirt is available in sizes small to 3x. [15] However, in 2019, Cass Tech was not among the 78 Michigan high schools with the highest average SAT scores. 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) . Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Lewis Cass Technical High School, demolished in 2011, was one of Detroit's largest high schools. [6][7], The former building, including the extension, was left vacant (with classroom fittings and supplies inside). Caria Taylor, a member of Cass Tech High School's Class of 2021, used the isolation of COVID as an opportunity to develop her hobbies: reading, writing, and photography. Demolition began in December 2010 and was completed in August 2011. Somehow this midcentury gem is still on the market. Anne Church in Southwest Detroit a basilica. The interior had elaborate tilework, an ornate library, pool, gymnasium, auditorium, and more across its six buildings. Historic Briggs mansion in Boston-Edison lists for just over $1M. Of course, nostalgia makes you think mine was better, but the children of today need a beautiful school with windows and air conditioners that have all the modern features that a school in Birmingham or Grosse Pointe has. It also occupied an opulent building designed by renowned local firm Donaldson & Meier in the Mediterranean Revival-style. Advertisement Cass Tech Photos Of An Abandoned Detroit School (PHOTOS) By 2000 over a million people had moved elsewhere, leaving the city up to 60% vacant by some estimates. Naima Mora (born March 1, 1984) is an American fashion model and the winner of Cycle 4 of America's Next Top Model. It was an area that was like an island unto itself. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. [citation needed] In 2010, the CTMB participated in Norfolk State University's Homecoming and won first place in the McDonald's Battle of the Bands. Prominent graduates from Cass Technical High School include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. Architecture. The Triangle Society is committed to maintaining that legacy by providing financial support to Clubs, organizations, athletic and academic programs at Cass. Confronting Satan in a Dark Spanish Castle. Atlas Obscura is proud to present this post as part of a partnership with the excellentPalladium Boots, who encourage you to explore your street, city, and the world. [3] It was established in 1907 and is part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The rest of the story is familiar; mid-century found Detroit in full swing as Motor City USA, a modern metropolis, a shining light for the future of the midwest. 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. I also played tennis. [32], As of 2022[update], approximately 2,400 students attended Cass Technical High School: 583 students in the ninth grade, 637 students in the tenth grade, 606 in the eleventh grade, and 575 in the twelfth grade. OCTECHS Top Ten 2023. Cass Technical High School - Wikipedia Detroit Urbexs series was influenced by the work of photographer Camilo Jos Vergara, who has documented the evolution of American cities taking the exact same photograph over a period of time, sometimes over decades. 2023 Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. The fire was in fact minor and the demolition was unrelated. 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. Cass Technical High School Alumni, Class Reunions, Yearbooks First, they photographed every room the old Detroit school, which was abandoned after a 2007 fire. Beautifully Mashed-Up Photos Show The Glory And Wreckage Of Detroit It would have cost around $60.8 million to build today. Photo from the Walter P. Reuther Library. (source). In July 1942, the top of Detroits city hall was dwarfed by the more modern Penobscot Building in the background. Modern Detroit is a lot of things, all at once: infamous city of decay, hotbed of creativity, time capsule of the American dream, etc. It had a capacity of 3,600 students and was connected to the High School of Commerce, which opened earlier the same year in Cass Tech's former building, by Victory Memorial Arch, a pedestrian bridge over Main Street that was a memorial to students killed in the war. People on this list must have gone to Cass Technical High School and be of some renown. See top plays & highlights of the best high school sports. [Detroits] been here for years. [20], The concert band program rose to prominence under the direction of Harry Begian, who led the Cass Tech bands from 1947 through 1964. In 2017, the building suffered severe damage from a fire in its auditorium. Cass students in one of the school's gyms. Cass Technical High School placed in the top 50% of all schools in Michigan for overall test scores (math proficiency is bottom 50%, and reading proficiency is top 20%) for the 2020-21 school year. It remains lovingly cared-for, murals included. Photo Essay: Senior year in the age of COVID - Chalkbeat Detroit Back then, the Cass Corridor had a lot of homeless peopleyou would step over them just get to school. 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. It was like a college in high school. [citation needed]. Cass Tech High School (old) - The bridge on the left connects to the High School of Commerce, which was the original Cass Tech. Detroit, MI. The incredible Stone Hedge mansion, built for Detroit Tigers owner Walter O. Briggs, is listing for $1,050,000. Demolition. Cass students in one of the school's gyms. One of its recent projects focuses on Cass Technical High School, a building damaged by a fire in 2007 and later demolished in 2011. [10][11], In 2008, due to declining enrollment, teacher staffing was reduced and some classes that were not very popular with students were removed. Its just sad to see. (source). 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. Entrance is based on test scores and middle school grades. Students work on engines in a Cass Tech shop class. History of Cass Tech High school from its founding to the present day. Scroll through the images below and let us know what you think of Detroiturbex's project in the comments section. It was ultimately demolished in 2012. The classrooms were left full of desks and other supplies when the district abandoned the building. As a child, he proved himself an apt learner . I enjoyed school, being able to go there with my siblings. What doesnt appear in the images, however, is how the old Cass Tech, with its classic and imposing architecture, made high-schoolers feel like they belonged to something great. The High School of Commerce - a former home of Cass Tech High - is demolished in August 1964 to make way for Interstate 75. [5], The school was founded in 1907 on the third floor of Cass Union School on Grand Union Avenue, subsequently moving to its own wing.