Sidney D. Miller Middle School facts for kids
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Sidney D. Miller Junior High and High School
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Southern façade
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| Location | 2322 DuBois Street Detroit, Michigan |
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| Area | 2.5 acres |
| Built | 1922 |
| Architect | Malcomson and Higginbotham |
| Architectural style | Jacobethan |
| MPS | Public Schools of Detroit MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 10000689 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 12, 2011 |
The Sidney D. Miller Middle School, also known as the Sidney D. Miller Junior High and High School, is an important school building located at 2322 DuBois Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was a high school from 1933 to 1957. During that time, it was very important because it was the main high school for African American students in Detroit, even though it wasn't officially designated that way. The school was recognized as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1986 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
Contents
School's Story: How it Grew
Detroit grew incredibly fast in the 1910s, with nearly 700,000 more people moving there! To make room for all these new families and their children, many schools were built. Work began on what was then called the "Dubois School" in 1918. It was planned to be a junior high school.
Building the School
The school was designed by a company called Malcomson and Higginbotham. They designed almost all of Detroit's public schools between 1894 and 1923. The building cost $245,616 to construct. In 1919, while still being built, it was renamed the "Sidney D. Miller Intermediate School." Sidney D. Miller (1830–1904) was a very important person in Detroit. He used to be the president of the Detroit Board of Education. He also led the Detroit Health Commission and Police Commission.
Even with the name change, the building plans changed a few times. The school finally opened to students in 1921. The building itself was fully finished in 1922.
Changes Over Time
Through the 1920s, Detroit's population kept growing. This made the school system very busy. An extra part was added to Miller School in 1931, which included a girls' gym.
When the school first opened, most people living nearby were white. But soon, more and more African American families moved into the Black Bottom neighborhood around the school. Because of this, the area became mostly Black.
White parents at a nearby school, Eastern High School, worried about the increasing number of Black students. So, in 1933, the Detroit School Board changed Miller into a senior high school. They also made it easy for white students who were supposed to go to Miller to instead attend Eastern. This meant that Miller High School became the main, but unofficial, high school for African American students.
A Place for African American Students
Miller High School is important because of its connection to the education of African American students. From 1933 to 1957, it was the main high school for Black students in Detroit. The Black community was concerned about their children's education. Because of this, the School Board hired many Black teachers and leaders at Miller.
In 1955, steps were taken to end the separation of students in Detroit schools. By 1957, the Miller building was changed back into a middle school. It stayed a middle school for 50 years and then closed in 2007.
In the early 2010s, the building was given a new purpose. It reopened as University Prep Science and Math Elementary School, which it still is today.
Sports at Miller High School
Miller High School had a famous basketball team! In 1947, they played against Detroit St. Joseph High School at Detroit's Olympia Stadium. This was the very first City Basketball Championship game between the Detroit Public School League and the Catholic High School League. Miller won the game 47 to 34. A record 11,563 people watched the game, which was a huge number for a Michigan high school game!
What the School Looks Like
The Miller School is a 2-and-a-half-story building. It is built in a style called Jacobethan, which looks a bit like old English country houses. It has a flat roof and is made of red brick with bands of limestone stone.
The front (west) and back sides of the building are not perfectly even. They have parts that stick out three stories high. The main entrance has a Gothic arch, which is a pointed arch, with tall stone pillars on each side. Above the entrance, the words "SYDNEY D. MILLER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL AD 1919" are carved into the stone.
The original building from 1921 was shaped like an "L." Later additions in 1931 and 1951 made the building bigger. These additions stretched the building further east and created a small enclosed courtyard inside. This made the building's outer shape almost a perfect rectangle.
