Before Cooley High School began demolition it stood as a symbol of pride for many alumni, but also as a failure of the struggling district, from when Cooley closed in 2010. For years Cooley stood scrapped and vandalized from years of neglect. However through the decay and damage suffered, Cooley remained a iconic school. While plans originally saw to save a large part of the building in 2025, the district announced in early June 2026 that the full school would be demolished. After serve community push back, superintendent Dr. Vitti of DPSCD announced a meeting last minute for alumni and community members to attend on June 10th at Renaissance High School. Abandoned Commercial Detroit was in attendance and noted that many alumni were in disbelief about the shear “coverup” and not getting alumni feedback on the parts of the school that would be saved. Many also felt it was almost like talking to a wall about the talks of saving their school. Leading up to the demolition for years various buyers and re-developers wanted to buy Cooley and turn it into a community space. However the district refused again and again to sell the building, most recently Chet Pitts (Class of 2001 at Cooley) offered to buy the school in full and showed funds to be able to redevelop it, with a full plan, and blueprints. Again the district refused the offer and stood on their plans of full demolition and redevelopment into the districts version of a athletic complex for Cody High School, which was a very hard point for the alumni of Cooley to accept for very fair reasons, with the distinct rivalry between the Cooley Cardinals and the Cody Comets. Following the meeting Chet Pitts began a lawsuit against the district.
Statement on Cooley Demolition from Chet M. Pitts (Class of 2001) 8/9/26
Statement Regarding the Demolition of Cooley High School
My position is simple: if Detroit Public Schools Community District followed every required rule, then they should have no problem proving it. Cooley High School was not just another vacant building. It was a historic public institution that belonged to generations of Detroiters, and decisions of this magnitude should come with complete transparency, accountability, and documentation. I have taken these concerns to court because serious questions remain regarding the process surrounding Cooley's demolition, including the use of federal grant funds, required procedures, public accountability, community involvement, approvals, procurement, and compliance with other applicable requirements. The burden should not be on the community to simply trust that everything was done correctly. Show us the records. If DPSCD properly complied with every applicable federal funding requirement, public-meeting requirement, procurement procedure, community-engagement obligation, and approval process, then produce the documents demonstrating that compliance.
-Produce the notices.
-Produce the meeting records.
-Produce the approvals.
-Produce the grant requirements and documentation showing they were followed.
-Produce the contracts, bids, evaluations, and authorization records.
-Produce the documentation showing when, where, and how the community was given a meaningful opportunity to participate before the decision became irreversible.
If everything was done properly, the records should prove it. What concerns me most is that demolition continues while these questions remain unresolved. Once a historic building is destroyed, no court order, public apology, or later explanation can put it back together.
CALL TO ACTION
I am calling on Cooley alumni, Detroit residents, neighborhood organizations, preservation advocates, elected officials, journalists, community leaders, and taxpayers to demand transparency.
-Ask questions.
-Request the records.
-Contact your elected representatives.
-Document what is happening.
-Speak publicly.
-Attend meetings.
-Share information.
And demand that every public dollar and every decision involving Cooley be fully accounted for. This is no longer only about saving a building, this is about whether public institutions can make irreversible decisions involving public property and public money without being required to fully demonstrate that the proper process was followed. If DPSCD followed the law and every applicable requirement, then release the evidence and let the public see it. If mistakes were made, the public deserves to know. If requirements were ignored, the public deserves accountability. And until these questions are fully answered, we should not stop asking them.
-Demand the Records.
-Demand Transparency.
-Demand Accountability.
-Protect What Remains of Cooley.
— Chet M. Pitts
June 7th
In the days after the announcement a fence went up around the school however no demolition work had began on the school. Security was on site, but was not 24/7 like it would be later on in the demolition. Over the following days, hundreds of Cooley alumni paid their respects to a school that shaped them as a person.
June 12th
In the days following the June 10th meeting, the demolition crew began removing accents off the building to preserve them for the new athletic field. Also around this time the school was put into a 24/7 armed security presence, after a group of “urban explorers” that were known for their more edgy take on urban exploring, took down a section of the fence and entered into the school via the “western entrance” (Abandoned Commercial Detroit will not name drop the group of individuals responsible for the break in) the following day Detroit Public Schools Community District spokeswoman Chrystal Wilson said intruders broke down a large section of the fence protecting the building and a covering protecting the entrance of the long vacant school was destroyed. While the final statement was untrue, the fence was destroyed to gain entry, prompting the district to put up the 24/7 security on site. Most notably work on removing the bell towers began, alongside accent marks and the front facade being saved.
August 4th
After about a month of prep work, the first section of the school was demolished being the gymnasium and pool sections. It came as a shock for many, and was the one of the final nails in the coffin for many, however Chet Pitts continued his fight to save “what was left of the school”.
August 5th
Work from the previous day had seen the reminder of the face to be demolished as the day prior the gym section had been left unfinished requiring a clean up on this day.
August 6th
August 6th was a proper clean up day, with many asbestos abatement crews working in the front sections of the school removing mainly tiles. While in the back debris was moved offsite, as bricks were taken off the building to be used directly on the new athletic field. All boards of the school had been removed allowing a unique view inside the school into the library towards the front of the school.
August 7th and 8th
August 7th marked a very big turning point in the saving of Cooley as classroom sections of the school were torn into alongside the removal of the western entrance. Cooley north also had holes torn into it as it began its own asbestos abatement.
