From Preservation Online, the online magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

www.preservationonline.org

Dear Preservation 911,

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

E-mail the writer with advice, comments, or commiseration.

Got a 911 in your town? Send us an e-mail.

Preservation 911 is a message board open to all readers. While National Trust staff will respond to the extent feasible, this will not be possible in all cases. We encourage other readers involved in state or local preservation to respond with advice or assistance. To contact either a regional office of the National Trust, a statewide or local nonprofit organization, or your state's historic preservation office, click here for a state-by-state list.

The National Trust's regional and field offices bring the programs and tools of the Trust to communities across the country. They offer technical assistance through consultations and field visits and financial help through small grants. They hold educational programs for professional preservationists and work to foster policies that help historic places. They also provide leadership on issues that concern entire regions, such as saving historic schools, fighting sprawl, and revitalizing cities.

All Rights Reserved © Preservation Magazine | Contact us at: preservation@nthp.org