Skip to main content
Back to all buildings

Duane Doty School

Also known as: Doty, Duane, School

National Register
Duane Doty School — DOTY SCH DETROIT WAYNE MI (historic photo, Detroit)

Historic Photo, sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing

DOTY SCH DETROIT WAYNE MI

Duane Doty School — DOTY SCH DETROIT WAYNE MI. Architect: Malcomson & Higginbotham. Detroit, Michigan.

National Register of Historic Places Filing

View Original PDF
State SignificanceArchitecture1908-1928

As Detroit's oldest Arts and Crafts-style school building, and likely one of the oldest in that style in Michigan, Duane Doty School has statewide significance under National Register Criterion C. Along with Nichols School (1910), it is one of Detroit's most elaborate, high-style examples of a school building in that style. It is also noteworthy as one of three extant school buildings by Malcomson & Higginbotham designed in the first decade of the twentieth century that feature a nearly identical floor plan and massing yet are each executed in entirely different architectural styles.

Physical Description

Duane Doty School faces east onto Third Avenue, just north of the city's Boston-Edison neighborhood and historic district. It occupies the east end of a residential city block. Doty School is a two-story, red brick, hip roof structure on a high basement. Its prominent Arts and Crafts architectural features include paired, decorative roof brackets, and an off-center, square tower with a pyramidal roof. The building appears to be in good condition and retains much of its architectural integrity with the exception of slight interior modifications such as the removal of original millwork.

Architect/Builder

Malcomson & Higginbotham

NRHP Ref# 10000654 • Data from National Park Service • Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0

Historic Photos

(6)

Sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing

Duane Doty School — DOTY SCH DETROIT WAYNE MI

Public Domain (Michigan Filing)

From Wikipedia

View Original

The Duane Doty School is a school building located at 10225 3rd Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. It is the oldest Arts and Crafts-style school building in Detroit, and likely one of the oldest Arts and Crafts-style schools in Michigan.

History The Duane Doty School was named after former Superintendent of Schools for Detroit Duane Doty, who was appointed to that post in 1865. The original building was designed by Malcomson and Higginbotham, with construction starting in 1908 and ending in 1909. When it opened, the school contained 20 classrooms and was intended to hold 640 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. An addition costing $134,300 was completed in 1921, which added 320 students to the school's capacity. A gymnasium addition was constructed in 1928. In 1959, the building was substantially remodeled, and six new classrooms were added in the basement and first floor. By the end of 1960, enrollment in the school was 1,193 students. The building was later used as the Boykin Continuing Education Center. After major renovations completed in 2012, the building was re-opened as The Henry Ford Academy: Elementary School. In 2019 it was renamed to University Prep Art and Design Elementary School.

Description

The Duane Doty School is a two-story L-shaped, red brick, hipped roof structure placed on a high, windowed basement. The front facade has five bays, with the central bay projecting substantially outward. The two main entrances are located in single story vestibules flanking the main bay. The central and end bays of the school contain rows of wooden six-over-six sash windows with stone sills. The roof eaves are supported by paired or triples sets of oversized decorative brackets. A square tower behind one of the entrances pierces the roofline. A hipped roof addition dating from 1921 sits behind the building, and the flat-roofed gymnasium from 1928 extends further. Inside the building, the main entry vestibules have terrazzo floors, with staircases leading up to the first floor. The original L-shaped building has two intersecting corridors leading to classrooms. The kindergarten classrooms are located between the two main entrances at the front of the building. The additions contain a one-story auditorium on the first floor with a gymnasium below in the basement.

References

External links The Henry Ford Academy: Elementary School Archived 2016-11-13 at the Wayback Machine

Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0

Building Details

Architect
Malcomson & Higginbotham
Address
10225 3rd St, Detroit
National Register
Listed
Ref# 10000654
See more by Malcomson & Higginbotham