Back hoes and bulldozers are now crashing through the walls of old Cass Tech High School. The demolition company is charging taxpayers $3 million. Since the 1950’s, Michigan politicians have demolished parts of their cities. They promised renaissance would follow. Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus reports that the newest political stars are doing what their predecessors did.
(click the audio link above to hear the story)
Among the republican candidates for governor last year, Rick Snyder spoke most about reinventing the state. This was a Snyder campaign television ad.
“Please join the re-invent Michigan team. With your help I know we can make Michigan great again.”
Michigan’s greatest high school is arguably Detroit Cass Tech. It produced the best and the brightest, including Lily Tomlin, Jack White and Diana Ross. #5 on Snyder’s 10 Point Reinvention plan was Reinvigorate Cities. On Thursday, Snyder held a news conference on other Detroit issues. I asked him why he’s letting Cass Tech get torn down.
“The Detroit Public schools makes the decisions on that. And I’ll be supportive of their effort. Because in many respects it’s how do we continually improve. The key thing is not necessarily the building. It’s the students in the building and getting our kids a great education. And that’s what really matters. It’s student growth. It’s not just facilities. It’s not just the surroundings. It’s getting those kids to succeed.”
Dozens of landmark buildings have been torn down in Detroit. Former Mayor Dennis Archer pushed the plunger that imploded Hudsons in 1998. Other mayors took down The Tuller Hotel. The Statler Hotel. The Lafayette. Tiger Stadium and now Cass Tech. Empty lots have replaced them. Mayor Dave Bing joined Governor Snyder at the news conference. Bing said:
“I guess we would be open to your suggestion. How do we do something different. They built another Cass Tech directly next door to the original Cass Tech. The building that they were tearing down was in really bad condition. So it would have cost us much more money to refurbish the building than it is to tear it down. And once again it is about the kids. It’s not about the facilities.”
The new Cass Tech was built next door in 2005. It cost $93 million. 2 years before that, alumni asked if they could buy the old one. Administrators refused to sell it. And they refused to spend the money on fences and alarms. Alumni and teachers also asked if they could save about 20 pianos, hundreds of machines and desks, thousands of books plus ornamental wood and stone work. Eventually, vandals and looters wrecked every single room. But even they couldn’t do structural damage. The place was a fortress. Steve Wasko is the spokesman for Detroit Public Schools.
“While there have been many discussions of offers and allusions to offers and insinuations to offers, none of which have came. The most recent offer that those who were behind it made a lot attention to, ultimately came with a $20,000 check. I don’t think $20,000 is gonna pay for enough plywood to cover half the windows on that building.”
The security deposit was $20,000. The offer was $200,000, made by Dennis Kefallinos. He has Nikki’s Pizza, the Russell Industrial Center and plenty of code violations. But he saved Russell and other buildings from the wrecking ball.
The alumni association has an office in the new building. This is the message on their answering machine. Cass graduated 60,000 people. Many are pleased with the demolition. Many are crying. Many vow never to help Detroit again. They say the building made them great.
“Always remember. There are two types of people in this world: those who went to Cass Tech and those who wanted to.”
On Thursday, a dozen students argued about the demolition. Here’s a young man arguing against the old building. It’s just 200 feet away. Then a young woman arguing against the new building where they stood.
“If your grandmother was in the hospital and she was doing horrible. She was suffering. And she wasn’t getting better. Would you pull the plug or let her suffer? Detroit just came up with an excuse to build a new building in the first place. This whole school was unnecessary. It was unnecessary.”
How will Michigan get re-invented? Who’s going to do it and what will they do it with?
Jacob Wright is an unemployed Detroiter. At the site, he said he wanted to help restore Old Cass Tech’s 8 stories and its 2,000 seat acoustically perfect, 3-tiered auditorium.
“The powers that be do what they please. I wish there would be a type of voting on it from the public. And probably the majority of the public would vote for not tearing it down.”
For Michigan Now - I'm Chris McCarus in Lansing
