Grass now pushes through the cracks outside Cooley High. Windows, once bright with student pride, stare back at the city—boarded up and quiet. For years, residents drove past the corner of Hubbell and Chalfonte with one question: what’s going to happen to Cooley?
That question now has an answer.
The Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Foundation has announced two long-awaited capital projects totaling more than $32 million. Cooley High School, closed since 2010, will be redeveloped into a district and community-based athletic campus. Davis Aerospace Technical High School, the city’s gateway to aviation careers, will return to its rightful location at Coleman A. Young International Airport. Both projects are backed by $22 million in state funding, with the remaining balance being raised through the DPSCD Foundation.
These aren’t symbolic gestures. This is Detroit reclaiming control over what’s ours.
Cooley High will undergo a $25 million transformation. The site, once a proud symbol of sports excellence, will become a state-of-the-art athletic facility for DPSCD students and the surrounding community. Fifteen million dollars have already been allocated through a State of Michigan appropriation. The district’s nonprofit foundation is working to secure the remaining $10 million. The project is expected to be completed in 2026.
Plans for the site include an outdoor football field, outdoor track, modernized parking lots, and green space for neighborhood use. The development will serve as the home facility for Cody High School athletics and local youth sports programs. DPSCD has confirmed the demolition of a building on the site, though it has not specified whether that includes the original high school structure. What has been confirmed is the preservation of part of the building, which will be converted into a new locker room, a dedicated museum space for alumni, and a community meeting hub.
The goal is to honor Cooley’s legacy while creating space for Detroit student-athletes to train, compete, and grow without limitations. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti underscored this intention, stating: “Ever since Cooley High School closed in 2010, the community has wanted us to do something special with this legendary site. We are laser-focused on honoring this commitment with an exciting new complex that builds on Cooley’s legacy and creates equitable sports opportunities for Detroit student athletes and the community.”
That word—equitable—is key.
For decades, Detroit students have been forced to play catch-up when it came to access. Crumbling fields, outdated equipment, and limited space have stood in the way of scholarship opportunities and competitive athletic exposure. This project addresses that head-on. DPSCD has confirmed that the first phase will include architectural designs, fencing, lighting, a football field and track stadium, weight rooms, and locker rooms. The facility will not only serve as a home field—it will serve as a home base.
Future phases being considered include two additional buildings. One would house basketball and volleyball courts. The other would provide an indoor space for football, track, lacrosse, and soccer. A permanent dedication to Cooley alumni is also part of the plan.
The road to redevelopment hasn’t been without controversy. Nonprofit Life Remodeled worked for more than three years to acquire the Cooley site. They offered up to $1 million for the building and envisioned converting it into a community hub similar to the Durfee Innovation Society. Despite the interest, DPSCD rejected the final offer in March 2023. The district cited the absence of legally binding commitments to community-centered usage, a lack of clawback provisions, and no profit-sharing structure.
A property analysis by Plante Moran described the building as having “de minimis” value, meaning that the cost to demolish it outweighed the property’s financial worth. But DPSCD made clear that its value isn’t tied to appraisal numbers—it’s tied to the future of students who deserve access to athletic opportunities on their own terms.
While Cooley represents the return of local pride and investment in athletics, Davis Aerospace Technical High School speaks directly to Detroit’s workforce future.
The school, founded in 1986, prepares students in grades 9 through 12 for careers in flight, aircraft systems, and engineering. In 2013, following the city’s bankruptcy, Davis was relocated from Detroit City Airport to the Golightly Education Center. That move separated students from direct access to the aircraft and airfield that once defined their learning experience.
That changes with this investment.
DPSCD will use $7 million from the State of Michigan, alongside district funding, to construct a new school building at Coleman A. Young International Airport. The project is expected to be completed by 2027. When finished, students will return to an aviation-focused campus that places real aircraft at the center of daily learning.
Dr. Vitti emphasized the significance of the move: “We are incredibly excited for Davis Aerospace to return to its original home where students will have direct access to airplanes as part of their training,” Dr. Vitti said. “This program has a long history of opening the door to lucrative career opportunities for students, including six-figure aviation jobs. With this move, we are returning the school to its roots where students can learn about flying and maintaining planes in the most appropriate setting.”
The project will allow Davis Aerospace to double its enrollment to approximately 200 students. Expanded curriculum offerings in engineering and aviation technology will be supported by the proximity to aircraft and on-site maintenance operations. The new campus will not only restore what was lost—it will expand it.
This moment is about more than buildings. It’s about correcting years of divestment. Students in Detroit have watched schools close, programs cut, and resources stretched thin. They’ve adapted and overcome, but they’ve also been asked to carry more than their share of the burden.
These two projects offer something different. They signal that Detroit students are not disposable. They deserve investment that reflects their potential.
The announcement was made public during the DPSCD Foundation’s Tyrone E. Winfrey Hall of Fame Alumni Gala at Cass Technical High School. Nearly 800 guests—alumni, educators, community leaders—watched as a video presentation outlined the vision for both projects. The energy in the room reflected something Detroiters know well: when you build for the people, the people show up.
This is about reclaiming space. It’s about restoring dignity to places that were abandoned not by choice, but by systems that counted Black students out. Cooley and Davis represent two points on the same map—places where Detroit’s future is being reshaped not by outside investors, but by the district, the community, and the generations that never stopped believing in what these schools could be.
Construction will take time. So will fundraising. But the commitment is clear.
DPSCD isn’t asking Detroiters to imagine what could be. They’re moving to make it happen—with students, families, and legacy leading the way.
Cooley’s return honors the community that never let go of its past. Davis’ relocation empowers a generation preparing to take flight. Together, they create a vision that centers Black Detroit youth—not as a footnote, but as the foundation.
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