History of Campbell Elementary School

Campbell Elementary School was one of 29 schools built under a 1959 millage. Titled by Detroit Public Schools as the “1960s Building Program”. The first of these schools would be Jamieson built in 1960 (Demolished 2024), along some other notable schools including Kettering High School (Demolished 2024), Harris Elementary, Berry Elementary, and Biddle Elementary, among others. The 1960s saw the last strong push by the District to address enrollment numbers dropping due to white flight. The ultimate goal of these 29 schools was driven by civil rights efforts and the elections of the first Black school board members, leading to the construction of new schools in Black neighborhoods and the hiring of more Black teachers and administrators. This era also saw changes in school architecture, with a move towards modern designs, and efforts towards integration that faced significant resistance. The 1960s schools including Campbell saw modern amenities such as a fully electrical heated and air conditioned buildings. Modern layouts and design with centrally located common areas, and modern glass window designs. Campbell Elementary School is located along the Chene Corridor in Poletown East. Built in 1963, the school never received any additions and was a replacement for the original Campbell School, which was built on the same land just west of the current school in 1874. The original Campbell School, commonly referred to as St. Aubin School for the street it was located on, was badly damaged in a fire in 1883 but was fully repaired. It received one addition throughout its life in 1906 and served the Detroit Public Schools until 1963 when it was closed and replaced and later demolished, paving the way for the new Campbell School that stands in its place today to take its place. Throughout its life the new Campbell School became a staple of Poletown East, despite being built during a time of significant decline in the neighborhood. While the design of the new Campbell School suggests an addition was made, official reports do not claim that any additions were ever made to the new Campbell School. When the school closed in 2010, it had a student population of only 207. For nearly a decade, it sat abandoned, enduring neighboring buildings becoming victims of major arson fires around the Poletown East neighborhood and the growing plots of vacant land in the area. However, the Eastern Market purchased Campbell Elementary in 2019, but nothing has come of restoring the school, and today, in 2025, it remains abandoned.