Jefferson Intermediate School

Jefferson School is an architecturally significant example of the Neo-Tudor style. The building was designed by the prominent Detroit architectural firm of Malcomson, Higginbotham and Palmer, the most prolific designers of schools in the city of Detroit. The school, constructed in 1923, was named after Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States. The site for the old Jefferson School was purchased by the city in 1869 for $9,300. The site was located on streets then known as Marie and Crawford, which were later changed to Selden and Hamilton Avenues respectively. The school originally on this site was constructed in 1873, the total cost being $60,000. In 1915, additional lots were bought for playgrounds. This elementary school building was torn down in 1922, as it was considered old and dilapidated. During this same year, Jefferson School was constructed on the property. The school was originally known as Jefferson Intermediate School, later became Jefferson Junior High School, and is now known as Jefferson School. The construction of Jefferson School began in August of 1922 at a cost of $706,000. The architectural firm of Malcomson, Higginbotham and Palmer was commissioned by the Detroit Board of Education to design the school. The firm received commissions from the Board of Education almost yearly for thirty years beginning in 1891, making them the most prolific designers of school buildings in the state. The Jefferson School was one of several designed in the Collegiate Gothic style by the firm. The architectural firm of Malcomson and Higginbotham began as a partnership between William G. Malcomson and William E. Higginbotham. Both architects trained in the offices of local Detroit architects and formed a partnership in 1890. Some of their most notable, early commissions in Detroit include the Cass Avenue Methodist Church (1891), the Central Christian Church (1891), Preston School (1894), McMillan School (1895), Beard School (1896), Central High School/ Old Main (1896), and the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Rosary. William Palmer was brought into the firm in the early 1900s. Currently, the Jefferson School is vacant and in a deteriorated state. The building owner has plans to historically rehabilitate the school in the future.

Jefferson School is a large, three story tall Neo Tudor style school building on the northeast corner of Selden and John C. Lodge Service Drive, occupying the majority of its block. Rectangular in plan, a two story section is located at the northwest corner and a one story section runs along the remainder of the north elevation, creating two interior light courts. Finished in brick with limestone trim, the flat-roofed building has stone-faced foundations, water tables, belt courses and parapet copings. Also trimmed in stone are the quoin-like stone surrounds of the tall banks of windows, the entrance surrounds, and other architectonic elements and details. the building is currently vacant but still possesses a high degree of integrity. The front facade (south elevation) of Jefferson School, its most elaborate elevation, is arranged in three sections. The central section protrudes from the building mass and is flanked by nearly identical sections. The ends of the central section project slightly outward from the main block while rising above its height, creating a tower-like appearance. Between the 'towers,' the facade is divided into five vertical bays, each containing a two story window resting on the continuous stone water table, with decorative stone transoms at the first story level and a grouping of three narrow windows at the third story level. A brick parapet wall with stone coping, above the thin stone cornice, tops the central section; thin vertical stone stylized details that correspond to the division of the five bays and crenelation is centrally located within each section. The flanking sections are divided into five nearly identical bays. The outer two bays of the western section protrude slightly from the plane of the adjoining wall surface. The inner bay contains a protruding arched stone entrance with crest above. At second and third story level above the entrance are paired windows, and a cartouche is centrally located in the parapet wall above. The outermost bay mirrors the inner bay with a few exceptions: the entrance is now a stone, five sided bay window with a shaped parapet. The entrance and bay window are absent from the corresponding eastern section. The three central bays are composed of three story windows with decorative stone spandrels at the second and third floor levels. Each bank of windows is arranged in rows four windows wide, vertically divided by stone mullions. The treatment of the western and eastern elevations is identical to the treatment of this central section. A one story section of the building runs the width of the northern elevation. Divided into three bays, the out two are identical, with regularly placed, rounded stone pilasters tapering upwards and, at the parapet, emerge as long narrow pinnacles projection just above the stone coping. Windows or doors are located between the pilasters and have a brick transom with stone arch above. A crenelation is located between each pinnacle. The central brick bay, further subdivided by pilasters, contains a rounded arch window per section with a stone hood molding and sill. The second and third stories of the north elevation are set back and designed similarly to the other three elevations. The interior of the building originally contained a total of fifty-three rooms. The basement is under the central portion of the building. Plenum chambers, fan rooms, a switchboard and machine room, an air chamber, and a boiler room were all contained in this level. The upper three floors are similarly arranged, with larger rooms centrally located within the building and a U-shaped hallway with smaller rooms on either side. The first floor contained an auditorium, centrally located on the Selden side of the building, class rooms, a conference room, a science room, a general shop, a wood shop, a machine shop, lavatories, locker rooms, and exterior play courts. The second floor contained class rooms, a gymnasium, a teachers work room, administrative office, art and design rooms, and a sewing room. A portion of the roof of the one story section along the north elevation of the building was also used as a play roof, accessed from the centrally located gymnasium. The third floor contained a library, lunch room, class rooms, cooking room, housekeeping room, and typewriting room.