Hunter School is one of Detroit’s many forgotten schools next to Morley School, Cass Union School, Andrew Jackson Intermediate School, Liebold-Leonard School, and Huber School. Not much history is known about the Hunter School in Detroit, Michigan. This news article will explore and explain the history behind Hunter School. Not too much is known about the Hunter School.
 |
| Hunter School as shown in 1927. |
Hunter School was named in honor of Alex M. Hunter, President of the Navarre Board of Education in the Village of Navarre (renamed Oakwood Heights in 1918). Hunter School had a noticeably late Slovak-American population. Many of its students came from Slovak families who spoke English as well. The full name was Alex M Hunter School.
Hunter School aka Hunter Middle School and Hunter Elementary School was built in 1902 on 507 Bayside Street in the Oakwood Heights district neighborhood of Detroit. The school was built as a middle school and elementary school for students in grades 1-8. Citizens and alumni referred to the first Hunter School as a “small building”. The school would stay at this location until 1913 when Detroit Public Schools decided to relocate the school 5 blocks north.
Hunter School was rebuilt in 1914 as an elementary school called Hunter Elementary School and was located at the address of 530 South Colonial. The building was 3 stories tall and included a rotunda library. The rotunda library was the 2 story semi-circle building located up front facing Colonial. Structurally speaking, the building on Colonial was built as a U-shaped building on a U-shape building plan.
There was a doorknob to the basement that was the only knob of its type in the entire school. The door knob also features a raised picture of a women holding the hand of a child. The child appears to be holding school books in the other hand. The women is pointing to a star located in the sky above a mountain.
The inscription reads: "BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF DETROIT" "Incorp'd Feb 17 1842" The motto above the picture reads in Latin: "SICITUR AD ASTRA" which translates to "WISH UPON YOUR STAR”.
The first known recorded addition made to this school building was in 1918. No other known additions were made to this building.
From 1920 to 1922, a portion of Hunter Elementary School was used to house Hunter High School. Hunter High School was located in the northern portion of the building while Hunter Elementary School was located in the southern portion of the building. This lasted for only 2 years however. Hunter High School ended up shutting down in 1922. The northern portion of Hunter High School was restructured into an intermediate school which was called Hunter Intermediate School. Hunter Intermediate School opened in 1922 during the 1922-1923 school year.
Miss Dorothea Schaffer was president of Hunter Elementary School and Miss Margaret F. Grant was president of Hunter Intermediate School during the 1930s. Mrs. Hatchet was the librarian there for many years. (Ref: Detroit Free Press, Page 5, Friday, February 22, 1935)
John W. McCleak served as a principal at Hunter Intermediate School for seven years. Mrs. Hatchet was still the librarian. (Ref: Port Huron Times Herald, Page 4, Tuesday, October 24, 1972)
The Hunter School property was structured similarly to Mackenzie School where both an elementary school, a middle school, and high school were located on the same property. A handful of schools operated by Detroit Public Schools combined elementary schools and middle schools on the same property. As well as high schools to an extant. This was not uncommon in Detroit during the 20th century.
Throughout the 20th century, both Hunter Elementary School and Hunter Intermediate School operated on the same property for many years in Region 2. Hunter Intermediate School also operated under the name of Hunter Junior High School before becoming Hunter Middle School in 1951.
By the 1970s is when both Hunter Elementary School and Hunter Middle School became predominantly black schools. Eventually by the late 1970s and early 1980s is when both schools were all black. Its most famous alumni is Republican Party member Dr. Ben Carson and Violent J.
Both Hunter Elementary School and Hunter Middle School were shut down in 1981 by Detroit Public Schools due to a racial desegregation court order. The US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the federal court in Detroit to institute cross-district busing in many regions including Region 1 and Region 2. This court order had black students bussed to different schools in Detroit. Those regions were predominantly black.
Detroit Public Schools closed down Hunter Middle School and Hunter Elementary School in Region 2 which sent 150 McMillan Elementary School students to Pelham Open Middle School (Pelham Middle School) instead of to Hunter Middle. Cary Elementary School students were transferred to Wilson Middle School instead of Hunter Middle. Detroit Public Schools sent Hunter Middle School students to Boynton Middle School in Region 2. (Ref: Detroit Free Press, Page 5, Tuesday, February 10, 1981)
1981 is when the school on Colonial became abandoned after Detroit Public Schools made a decision to shut down the school. Hunter School was abandoned and wrecked by nature of course. Warning signs telling people to keep out were posted all over the building. There were also warning signs of dogs inside. So dogs had taken refuge inside this abandoned school overtime.
On the date of August 7, 1981 is when the Hunter School building went up for sale at a minimum price of $24,000.00. The school was sold to Courtesy Transfers Inc who wanted to turn it into a warehouse. However that never happened and the school eventually became abandoned. (Ref: Detroit Free Press, Page 45, Friday, August 7, 1981)
By the 1980s is when the Hunter School on Bayside Street became abandoned and wrecked by nature. Signs warning people to keep out were posted around the building. Children had been playing in and around the building. The Hunter School on Bayside Street was torn down and demolished not long after some people who had murdered someone in the Indian Village neighborhood tried to use it as a hideout to evade police.
The year of 1996 is when both schools were demolished leaving just empty fields. Today nothing remains of either school.
Sadly Hunter School had to be demolished since the city could not figure out how to use the building for urban renewal purposes. That building was built so beautifully and was built to last a very long time.
Hunter School was located at 530 Colonial, Detroit, Michigan, US 48217 and 507 Bayside Street, Detroit, Michigan, US 48217.
no school ever existed at 507 Bayside
ReplyDelete