City begins demolition of long vacant Ruddiman School in Warren Ave. community

• Detroit Demo Week wraps up with highly anticipated demolition of Ruddiman Middle School in Warren Ave. community.
• Due to unforeseen circumstances yesterday's press conference was cancelled, however we were able to begin demolition later that afternoon.
• City reaffirms commitment to eliminating blight with $250M bond proposal and aggressive commercial demolition plan.
   

The City of Detroit continued “Detroit Demo Week” with the demolition of the long-vacant Ruddiman Middle School in District 7 at 7350 Southfield Road. Yesterday, crews from Detroit-based Adamo Group began taking down the approximately 88,000 square foot school building. The contracted cost of demolition is $560,000 and the structure will be completely demolished and removed within 75 days. 

“The Ruddiman school has a beautiful history, serving as an educational haven for students and families in the Warren Ave. neighborhood for nearly 90 years,” said Detroit Demolition Director LaJuan Counts. “Unfortunately, once the building exceeded its useful life span and fell vacant, it became more known for crime than community. We’re proud to acknowledge the site’s rich history and remove what’s become a dangerous eyesore for residents.”

Mayor Mike Duggan has prioritized blight removal across the city, moving forward with an aggressive commercial plan to address deteriorated schools and large buildings (non-residential properties). The abandoned school is one of 100 vacant commercial structures Mayor Duggan plans to mitigate through redevelopment or demolition during his third term in office.

“This is the one building every community group has asked about since its closure 15 years ago. The City didn’t own it, so we didn’t have clear next steps,” said Mona Ali, District 7 Manager. “Nearly every community group sees it coming in and out of their neighborhoods, so people are going to be a lot happier knowing this safety hazard is no longer there.”  

Demolition of blighted commercial and residential structures play an integral role in the City’s targeted efforts to turn blight into beauty, fostering an environment for residents and businesses to grow and thrive. Mayor Duggan has pledged to handle other infamous buildings including the Cadillac Stamping Plant, AMC Headquarters, Fisher Body 21 – as well as the Packard Plant, which is currently underway, and the La Choy Factory, which was demolished last month. The demolition portion of the Ruddiman site will be complete this week. 

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