Vacant Ruddiman Middle School torn down during Detroit Demolition Week
(CBS DETROIT) – Amid Detroit's first-ever demolition week, meant to lift the veil on what it takes to tear down blight, a vacant middle school on the city's west side was next on the chopping block.
Thursday marked the final chapter for Ruddiman Middle School.
After getting the green light from state environmental inspectors, crews knocked it down with a handful of on-lookers off to the side, including Calvin Colbert.
To Colbert, Ruddiman Middle School represents his mission to serve the community.
In 1994 he began "Brothers On Patrol" to ensure students had a safe route to the school. Now he's the director of Detroit Impact, a nonprofit that works with the youth.
"So Ruddiman, for us, was an icon. Over the years, it became an eyesore being empty here at this location," Colbert said.
He took the Detroit Demolition Department up on their offer to get an up-close look at a teardown.
"It gives a visual to like a timeline we always give residents so they can see the behind the scenes on what demo has to go through from here's the request, to here it's down. So it kind of helps out to keep everybody involved, and everybody just likes to see the different processes that go on behind the scenes," Mona Ali, District 7 manager with the City of Detroit Mayor's Office, said.
According to the Detroit Demolition Department, about 30 other vacant schools will face a similar fate.
"When the middle school was open, it meant a lot of access to schooling in the area. But since it has been abandoned, it's been a nuisance, a potential hazard to the community, and I'm glad to see it come down today," Detroit city councilmember Fred Durhal III said.
Once the cleanup is complete, the future of the land is still being determined.
"I'm not really wanting to see a vacant lot, but the vacant lot gives me the vision of what can be," Colbert said.