From the boiler rooms to labs to the front doors,
Denby High School on
the city's northeast side is getting a much-needed face-lift.
The
Kraemer Design Group reports construction on
Denby High, which began
earlier this year, will be completed in time for the beginning of the
2011-2012 school year. The school, named for Secretary of the Navy Edwin
C. Denby, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's
quite a school, designed with a nautical theme throughout, decorated
with interior wall murals and exterior terra cotta and limestone bas
relief structures.
"I don't think anything major has been done to this school in a long
time," says Kraemer Design Group's Bill Smith, who is managing the
project. "It was really kind of worn out when we started working on it."
The $16 million renovation includes brand-new mechanical and electrical
systems, plus all the labs, classrooms and public areas will receive
upgrades.
The design team is also restoring what it calls the "historic heart of
the school," Denby's 2,000-seat Art Deco auditorium. Its gold leaf
decoration around the curtains, maple wood chairs, and wall paneling are
all being restored to its previous splendor. A new sound system is also
going in.
"The auditorium they have there is beautiful," Smith says. "It was
really rundown. I don't think they've even used the balcony in years, it
just had tables and chairs stacked up in there.
A modernized front entrance will better handle security issues and the
morning traffic flow, while students will eat in the brand-new
cafeteria. The project is financed by the Proposal S bond issue, which
authorized $500 million to renovate 10 Detroit Public Schools and build
eight new centers of learning.
Source: Bill Smith, Studio Director, Kraemer Design Group
Writer: Ashley C. Woods
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