Clay Office and Conference Center facts for kids
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Clay School
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| Location | 453 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard Detroit, Michigan |
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| Built | 1888 |
| Architect | J.B. Tarleton |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002913 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 8, 1982 |
The Clay Office and Conference Center is a special building in Detroit, Michigan. It used to be known as the Clay School. This building is very important because it is the oldest school building still standing in Detroit! You can find it at 453 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in the Midtown area. In 1982, it was recognized as a historic place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and named a Michigan State Historic Site.
History of the Clay School
In 1873, a small wooden schoolhouse was first built at this spot. It served the children living nearby. But in 1888, that old wooden school was moved to another part of the city. The building you see today was then built in its place.
The new school was designed by an architect named J.B. Tarleton. He worked for the Detroit Board of Education from 1884 to 1890. The Clay School is the only school he designed that is still standing today.
The building was used as an elementary school until 1923. After that, for eight years, it became a center for boys who had trouble following rules. Later, it was used for vocational studies, which means teaching job skills. It also served as offices for the Practical Nursing Center. In 1981, the building was sold to a developer. They changed the old school into office spaces, which is what it is today.
What Does the Clay School Look Like?
The Clay School is a two-story building made of brick. It is about 72 feet long and 80 feet wide. It has a tall basement and a hipped roof, which means the roof slopes down on all four sides. The top of the basement has a line of decorative stones on the outside.
The front of the building has a central section that sticks out. This part has an arched entrance decorated with stone. There used to be a tall wooden tower on top of this central section. But this tower was removed in the 1970s.
Inside the building, both the first and second floors have four classrooms. Each classroom also has a coat room. The basement level contains the boiler room and bathrooms. Many of the original details are still inside. This includes wooden panels on the walls in the hallways. There are also original wooden classroom doors with windows above them. The window and door frames are molded, and the building has high baseboards and hardwood floors.
