History of St David School

St. David School is an abandoned private parochial school and former church on the east side of Detroit that was built in 1921. The school was constructed in two phases, with the first unit completed in 1923 and the second in 1925. The original St. David Church held services in what is today the gymnasium . With the expanding population in Detroit during the 1940s, a new church building was erected next to the school, and the original church was converted into a gymnasium/auditorium in 1948. Further expansion occurred in 1959 when a new high school was built across the street at what is now 8030 Outer Dr. E. The original school was then transformed into an elementary school. However, due to the sharp decline in population in Detroit during the 1960s and into the 70s, the high school was closed in 1971 after only 12 years of operation, along with many other private schools like St. Cryils, St. Margaret Mary, and St. Hedwig. The high school was leased to DPS in 1973 and operated under various school names, later being purchased by DPS in 1989. The elementary school, however, remained under St. David's control until it closed in 1990 when the number of families attending the church dropped from 2,000 in 1970 to only 110 in 1990. When the church closed the same year, the school was abandoned. However, the church building was sold to another parish and still operates to this day. As is common with private schools in Detroit, the school building remained abandoned. However, the high school was used for various purposes after it was closed by DPS in 2005, including as a community center. The high school was later burned in an arson fire in 2016 and was demolished in 2019. Today, the school remains in very poor condition and shows many signs of minor fire damage and general decay.