Dear Preservation 911,

Whittier Elementary School (Sharon Ritter)

Save this beautiful 1920s school!

Whittier Elementary School, is 43,982 square feet on 3.55 acres, within walking distance of downtown Royal Oak, Mich.

We would like to see Whittier find new life as lofts, condominiums, senior living, or other community buildings. Federal and state historic tax credits make adaptive reuse of old school buildings economically feasible.

The Royal Oak School District already has a demolition permit for the building, which it plans to demolish in July.

If interested, contact Great Northern Land Company at 734-996-9979, 586-703-9882 or 248-320-5607.

Whittier Elementary School is one of the remaining examples of a Frederick Madison-designed Royal Oak elementary school. Built in 1922 and named for American poet John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), Madison designed the building in the Collegiate Gothic style. Whittier was built by Norman A. Starr, a prominent Royal Oak builder.

We hope the Whittier school building will continue to inspire and serve the community with a new life as senior living units, a museum, etc.

Sincerely,

Trish Oliver

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