School, Penrose, since 1913
Greenfield Union School
Still standing, photographed 2011
- Opened
- 1913
- Style
- Georgian Revival
- Standing
- 113 years
Greenfield Union School has stood on W. 7 Mile Rd. in Penrose since 1913, 113 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.
What is there now
Standing
We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 24, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.
The story
Greenfield Union School opened in 1913, during the boom years when the auto industry turned Detroit into one of the fastest growing cities in America.
It was built in the Georgian Revival style, and it still reads that way from the sidewalk.
The National Register of Historic Places listed it in 2011.
Go see it at 420 W. 7 Mile Rd. Photos never get the scale right.
The Greenfield Union School is a school located at 420 West 7 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan. A part of Detroit Public Schools (DPS), the school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
Timeline
- 1913 Built Georgian Revival
- 2011 Listed on the National Register March 29, 2011
- 2026 Today 113 years and still standing
Where it is
420 W. 7 Mile Rd.
On this map
- 1 Greenfield Union School This place
- 2 Goodwill Community Chapel 220 ft
- 3 Ulysses S. Grant house 0.6 mi
- 4 Alexander Sydney Ramage House 0.6 mi
- 5 Margaret T. Fisher Mansion 0.7 mi
- 6 Frank Gorman House 0.7 mi
- 7 Garland Stove 0.7 mi
- 8 K.T. Keller House 0.7 mi
- 9 Daniel & Mabel Fisher House 0.7 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
More from Detroit in the 1910s
-
![Capitol Park Building, [Griswold Street from Capitol Park, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4329-2213-thumb-3f981d9a17.jpg)
Capitol Park Building
Building, built 1913, by Leonard B. Willeke
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
![Edelweiss Cafe, [Edelweiss Cafe, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4440-2281-thumb-050a05b82b.jpg)
Edelweiss Cafe
Building, built 1913, Dutch Colonial, by Mildner & Eisen, demolished 1949
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
![Broadway Market, [Edw. Neumann, Broadway Market, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4310-2194-thumb-42e52f2f8b.jpg)
Broadway Market
Building, built 1912, Beaux Arts, by Harry C. Stevens, demolished 1967
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
Detroit Waldorf School
School, built 1914, by Albert Kahn
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Cathedral Church of St. Paul
House of worship, built 1911, Neo-Gothic, by Ralph Adams Cram
Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
David Whitney Building
Hotel, built 1915, Beaux Arts, by Graham, Burnham & Co.
Photo: St8fan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
It is in Penrose. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
- Goodwill Community Chapel House of worship, built 1920, by Charles W. Bolton 220 ft
- Ulysses S. Grant house Built 1837 0.6 mi
- Alexander Sydney Ramage House Built 1921, Dutch Colonial Revival, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.6 mi
- Margaret T. Fisher Mansion Built 1925, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.7 mi
- Frank Gorman House Built 1926, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.7 mi
- Garland Stove Monument, built 1893, demolished 2011 0.7 mi
- K.T. Keller House Built 1926, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.7 mi
- Daniel & Mabel Fisher House Built 1927, in Palmer Woods Historic District 0.7 mi
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- Greenfield Union School, in Detroit, MI, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.