Monday, September 30, 2019

History of Roosevelt Elementary School in Flint, Michigan explored and explained.

Roosevelt Elementary School (Roosevelt School) is one of the many forgotten schools of Flint, Michigan of which only a few people seem to know about. The history of this school has not been preserved very well and seems to have been long forgotten.


Roosevelt Elementary School aka Roosevelt School was established and constructed near Stewart Avenue and Dort Highway (I 475) inside the St. John neighborhood in 1924 by the Flint Community School District. Roosevelt School was built with a seating capacity of 810 at a cost of $284,000 dollars. Construction started in summer of 1924. The time period for construction of this school lapsed over 2 years. (Ref: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/arx8251.0001.001/97?page=root;size=100;view=image, Title: An account of Flint and Genesee County from their organization, William V. Smith, Collection: Michigan County Histories and Atlases)

General Electric was awarded a contract for electrical wiring installation of Roosevelt School in 1924 for several thousands of dollars. General Electric helped build foundations to support the brick walls and concrete foundation. They also helped erect the basement. (Ref: Battle Creek Enquirer, Page 13, Friday, July 11, 1924)

Oliver Roland organized a team and the youth sports activities at Roosevelt Elementary School in 1928. He was a Hi-Y leader. It was during this time he served as sports director and was also responsible for the sports teams at Roosevelt School during much of the 20th century. (Ref: http://aashof.org/1986/12/11/oliver-twist-roland/)

Lee Watson was a community school director at Roosevelt Elementary School for 5 years. He was replaced shortly after 5 years. (Ref: Flint Journal, Lee Watson dies, August 21, 2001)

Buick assisted in development of a large park area for community recreational purposes at Roosevelt School through the youth bureau of Flint. Buick donated some of their land to Flint Community School District for a park during that time. (Ref: https://www.mott.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FoundationForLiving1963.pdf)

Roosevelt School was an elementary school only. Not a middle school or a junior high school as many would have you believe. After students graduated from Roosevelt School, they would attend Emerson Junior High School aka Emerson Jr. High School.

By 1954, Roosevelt School had integrated enrollment despite being located in a majority-black neighborhood. The main building of Roosevelt School had a 95% percent rate of black enrollment. This was because the school board drew attendance boundaries that resulted in a shift of racial population changes.(Ref: Demolition Means Progress:Race, Class, and the Deconstruction of the American Dream in Flint, Michigan, Andrew R. Highsmith, 2009)

The school board‘s plan assigned approximately 600 students to the main school building. The 1954 plan effectively split the enrollment at Roosevelt School along both racial and geographic lines, establishing separate sites for the white and black students of a single school. (Ref: https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/62230/ahighsmi_1.pdf)


However Roosevelt Elementary School would be one of the many schools in Flint that would be demolished for being located in the right of way of I 475.

Roosevelt Elementary School closed in 1976 due to the construction of I 475. Construction of I 475 through the St. John neighborhood displaced Roosevelt School. 12 vacant parcels next to the school were cleared to make way for I 475. Replacement of the Roosevelt School with compensation was paid by the Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation as stated in an agreement with Flint Community School District. (Ref: I-475 construction and Pierson Road reconstruction, Flint, Corridor and alignment statement : environmental impact statement)

1978 is when Roosevelt Elementary School was demolished. A 300 right-of-way line was paved over where Roosevelt Elementary School once stood. Today nothing remains of Roosevelt Elementary School. The parking lot has been paved over. (Ref: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ssd?id=ien.35556030793533;seq=106)

Roosevelt Elementary School was located at 1401 East Stewart Avenue, Flint, Michigan, US 48505.

6 comments:

  1. I loved Roosevelt Elementary School. Mrs McCrae, Mr Smith, Mrs Poe, Mrs Thomas, Principal Mr Martin, secretary Ms Lee. Great memories.
    Hilda Williams

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    1. Thank you for sharing your memories with us, Hilda.

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  2. I went to Roosevelt I loved Ms.McCray she didn't play and Ms Hicks. I went from kindergarten to 6 grade.

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  3. I remember Miss McCrae. She used to live with a lady named Miss mcknuckle who had a son named George. My brother and I used to spend the night on occasion and I had a chance to have a great conversation with Miss McCrae. She taught me that eating healthy would help me both physically and mentally. I attended Roosevelt from kindergarten through the fifth grade.

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  4. I went to Roosevelt miss Akins was the principle majority of the students were black the teachers were black and white the black teachers were hard liners believed beating
    children was the proper way to control black children befuddled white teachers didn't know what to do if you flunked a test some teacher would paddle you . Some teacher would not paddle you they would send you to get paddled by someone who loved to do that. Racial lines were drawn white flight was rampaging old fashioned teacher with an old fashioned way of thinking wasn't the way to teach thank goodness for time you have only a certain amount to do good or bad.

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