Vacant school building in Detroit set for demolition
(CBS DETROIT) A vacant school building in Southwest Detroit that's become quite the eyesore after two fires and vandalism is coming down.
The shell and charred remains of Frank Beard Elementary are, to this neighborhood, sad reminders of what was once a bustling center of learning.
Neighbors say it didn't take long for it to deteriorate.
"You had people going in originally, maybe with drugs, doing drugs, and then it's just downhill from there, and people cared less and less about the structure," Abel Jones, a resident, said.
In late July, it caught fire, then again two weeks later in what the city calls a suspected arson.
"Those fires significantly compromise the structural integrity of the building. The City of Detroit's Building official issued us an emergency order to take action on the building," Tim Palazzolo, deputy director of the Detroit Demolition Department, said.
On Friday, crews will begin tearing it down.
"Think about how you'd feel if you have to wake up and look at this every day. It brings down the quality of life; it brings down the property value," LaJuan Counts, Director of the Detroit Demolition Department, said. "And so for us to be able to remove this property bringing back some quality of life to the residents, which is really what we're all about."
The Demolition Department fast-tracked this project given its condition, but they're eyeing at least 90 other structures that will face a similar fate as city leaders seek to eliminate blight by 2024.
"Just the fact that we know that in the future, there's going to be something fantastic there to just continue to bring life into the neighborhood is amazing," Eva Torres, Detroit's District 6 manager, said.
Truer words have never been said to Rosie Garza, a lifelong resident of Southwest Detroit.
"It's the first time that I've seen so much rebirth in the city, and it's beautiful to drive through now every day and see just new development," Garza said.
It'll take crews about a week to tear down the structure and then clean up the site. The goal is to be wrapped up in about a month.
"It's like a gift and a curse because you had to go through the bad, but now that you see the good arising, it's a really wonderful thing to be part of it, you know," Jones said.