By: Jasmine West
Detroit Public Schools Community District has added around-the-clock security at the former Cooley High School after intruders damaged fencing and forced their way inside the vacant northwest Detroit building over the weekend.
The former school sits at 15055 Hubbell Avenue, near Fenkell Avenue, in a residential community where neighbors have watched the historic building remain vacant since Cooley closed in 2010.
Chrystal Wilson, DPSCD assistant superintendent, said the intruders tore down a large section of the fence surrounding the property before demolition and destroyed the seal covering one of the building’s entrances to gain unauthorized access.
The damaged fence has since been repaired. Wilson said the district will now maintain 24-hour on-site security until demolition work is finished.
The break-in comes as the district prepares to demolish the nearly century-old school building. Cooley opened in 1928 and served generations of students on Detroit’s northwest side before declining enrollment and districtwide school closures led to its shutdown.
DPSCD previously planned to preserve part of the building as it redeveloped the property into an athletic complex. District officials later determined that the structure had deteriorated to the point that the entire building would have to be demolished.
The demolition contract includes asbestos removal, tearing down the building, filling its basement and restoring the site. The first phase of demolition and site clearing is expected to be completed by Sept. 30 to meet the deadline connected to a state grant supporting the project.
Plans for the property call for a district and community athletic campus that would expand access to competitive sports facilities for Detroit students. Development is expected to move forward after the demolition and site-clearing process.
For now, the former school remains closed to the public. District officials warned that the unstable and deteriorating building presents serious risks to anyone who enters without authorization.
“The former Cooley High School building remains closed to the public, and unauthorized entry is prohibited,” Wilson said in a statement.
She said DPSCD will continue working with law enforcement and its demolition partners to secure the grounds and protect nearby residents throughout the project.
Anyone caught entering the fenced property or building without permission could face prosecution, according to the district.
“Violators of the building risk their own safety by entering the grounds and building and will be prosecuted if apprehended,” Wilson said.
