Demolition is underway at Cooley High School. Crews started August 4, tearing into the gymnasium at the back of the building, and the rest of the northwest side landmark is coming down behind it. The school at 15055 Hubbell Avenue opened in 1928 and closed in 2010, and after months of alumni pushing to save part of it, the entire structure is being taken to the ground. Here is what is happening on the site, why it is moving this fast, and what is being pulled out before the walls go.
What Is Happening Now
| Started | August 4, 2026, at the rear gymnasium |
| Scope | Full demolition, not the partial preservation once planned |
| Where | 15055 Hubbell Ave. at Chalfonte, northwest Detroit |
| Must finish by | September 30, demolition and phase one site clearing |
| Contractor | Asbestos Abatement, Inc., including basement backfill and site restoration |
| Next | A $25 million sports complex, complete by 2028 |
The Plan Changed
For months this was going to be a partial demolition. Alumni made a public case for keeping a piece of the building standing, and the district held community meetings to hear it.
That is over. The district now expects the whole structure to come down. Vandals hit the vacant building in the weeks before crews arrived, which did not help an already fragile case for saving any of it.
Why the Rush
Money with an expiration date is driving the calendar. A $15 million state appropriation expires at the end of September, so demolition and the first phase of site clearing must be finished by September 30 to keep it. Asbestos Abatement, Inc. holds the contract, which also covers basement backfill and site restoration.
In short, the building is coming down on a deadline set in Lansing rather than on the neighborhood’s schedule.
What Is Being Pulled Out First
Some of the building is being saved. Crews are keeping the clock, the bell towers, the terra cotta medallions, and the entry archways. Planners have discussed setting the bell towers at Hubbell and Chalfonte, or at Hubbell and Fenkell, so the corner still announces itself.
The district also says it will clean 10,000 bricks and give them away at no cost to alumni and former staff, with other bricks possibly reused on the site. Pickup details have not been published yet, so watch the district and the Cooley alumni association if you want one.
Who Walked Those Halls
Mike Ilitch graduated in 1947, an all-city baseball player and a track star, decades before he founded Little Caesars and bought the Red Wings and the Tigers. One of the most consequential figures in Detroit sports learned to compete on this block, and a $25 million sports complex is going up where he played.
Actress S. Epatha Merkerson graduated in 1970. Motown songwriter and producer Lamont Dozier came through, as did labor leader Jimmy Hoffa.
What the Building Was
Cooley opened September 4, 1928, taking its name from Thomas M. Cooley, a nineteenth-century jurist and chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. It went up as Detroit annexed the former Greenfield Township and the village of Strathmoor, filling the northwest side with houses faster than the city could build schools.
The demand showed immediately. Cooley opened with 1,570 students, and by 1932 it held 3,750. Ultimately it ran more than 80 years before closing in 2010, then sat vacant for another 15.
What Comes Next
The site becomes a $25 million sports complex, with the project expected to be complete by 2028. Until then the corner is a work zone.
For more on the neighborhoods changing across the city, see our Community coverage.
Cooley High School FAQ
Is it down yet?
Demolition started August 4 and must be finished, along with phase one clearing, by September 30.
Why now?
A $15 million state appropriation expires at the end of September.
What is being saved?
The clock, bell towers, terra cotta medallions, entry archways, and 10,000 bricks for alumni.
What replaces it?
A $25 million sports complex, complete by 2028.