History of Larned Elementary School

Larned Elementary School was built in 1953 by famed architect Minoru Yamasaki, who made an appearance in the architecture scene in the Metro Detroit region during the 1950s and 60s, with such buildings as the Reynolds Metals regional sales office in Southfield, MI, along with One Woodward Center, the prototype building for the Twin Towers of New York City, which were destroyed in the 9/11 attacks of 2001. Larned was built to replace the two-room schoolhouse named the Clarita-Farmington School, which had served the community since 1927. Though Larned never received any additions, the auditorium is notable for its wood panel wall finish. Minoru Yamasaki was known for using wood paneling in some interior builds, stating it imparted warmth and prominence to a space. Larned is a very small school and can almost be split in half, with classrooms on one side and common areas on the other . At only 22,400 square feet, it is one of the smallest schools in the district. Due to low enrollment, the school was closed in 2005, it remained abandoned for five years until 2010 when it was leased to a community center and later a soup kitchen, which used the space until 2016-2018, when it was abandoned again . Since being abandoned, it has become a squatter haven, with many areas, especially in the classroom section of the school, filled with various squatter belongings. Also in the classroom section, evidence of multiple fires is present.