Lost school, Central Southwest, 1896 to 2022
James A. Garfield School
Demolished in 2022
- Opened
- 1896
- Style
- Late Victorian
- Torn down
- 2022
Designed by Malcomson & Higginbotham
James A. Garfield School stood in Central Southwest from 1896 until 2022. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
A vacant lot
Mapped as James A. Garfield School Site
Detroit's James A. Garfield School, designed by Malcomson & Higginbotham, stood on this spot for 126 years. It came down 4 years ago. Today the spot is a vacant lot.
- 1896 Opens James A. Garfield School
- 2022 Comes down James A. Garfield School
- 2026 Today Vacant lot
How we know what stands there
- OpenStreetMap James A. Garfield School Site, vacant lot at the map point
- County parcel records VACANT COMMERCIAL
Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.
What is there now
A vacant lot
- Today Mapped as James A. Garfield School Site Source: OpenStreetMap and County parcel records
- James A. Garfield School came down Source: National Register of Historic Places
We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.
The story
In 1896, in Detroit's Gilded Age, when stove works, shipyards and railroads made the city's first fortunes, James A. Garfield School went up in Central Southwest.
Malcomson & Higginbotham drew the plans, working in Late Victorian.
It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
It is gone now, demolished in 2022, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
The James A. Garfield School was a former school building located at 840 Waterman Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the Frank H. Beard School. It was one of the oldest existing schools in the city of Detroit, as well as one of the least altered.
Timeline
- 1896 Built Designed by Malcomson & Higginbotham
- 1984 Listed on the National Register January 26, 1984
- 2022 Demolished
- 2026 Today 4 years since it came down
Where it is
840 Waterman St.
On this map
- 1 James A. Garfield School This place
- 2 Beard School 110 ft
- 3 All Saints Catholic Church 0.6 mi
- 4 Detroit Savings Bank Southwest Branch 0.6 mi
- 5 Hollywood Theatre 0.8 mi
- 6 West Vernor-Junction Historic District 0.8 mi
- 7 Most Holy Redeemer Church 0.8 mi
- 8 Fort Street Congregational Church 0.9 mi
- 9 Fort Wayne 0.9 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Architect
Malcomson & HigginbothamAmerican architectural firm based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Designed St. Joseph's Episcopal Church (1883) and 51 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Malcomson & Higginbotham
More from Detroit in the 1890s
-
Majestic Building
Building, built 1896, Beaux Arts, by Daniel H. Burnham, demolished 1961
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
Harmonie Club
Building, built 1895, Beaux Arts, by Richard E. Raseman
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Coronado Apartments
Building, built 1894, Romanesque Revival, by William S. Joy
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Hurlbut Memorial Gate
Monument, built 1894, Beaux Arts
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
![Belle Isle Pavilion, [Pavilion, Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4294-2180-thumb-512916ec9d.jpg)
Belle Isle Pavilion
Building, built 1893, by Spier & Rohns, demolished 1950
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
![Floral Clock at Water Works Park, Floral clock, Water [Works] Park, Detroit, Mich.](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4470-2305-thumb-1a3e4ef4e0.jpg)
Floral Clock at Water Works Park
Monument, built 1893
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
Around the block
It is in Central Southwest. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
- Beard School School, built 1896, by E.A. Walshe & Sons, demolished 2022 110 ft
- All Saints Catholic Church House of worship, built 1926, by Andrew R. Morrison, demolished 2022 0.6 mi
-
Detroit Savings Bank Southwest Branch
Building, built 1920, Classical Revival, by Albert Kahn
Photo: Msmith487, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.6 mi
- Hollywood Theatre Theater, built 1927, Spanish Renaissance, by Charles N. Agree, demolished 1963 0.8 mi
-
West Vernor-Junction Historic District
Building, Late Victorian, by Donaldson & Meier
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.8 mi
-
Most Holy Redeemer Church
House of worship, Renaissance Revival, by Donaldson & Meier
Photo: Notorious4life, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
0.8 mi
- Fort Street Congregational Church House of worship, built 1902, by James D. Butterfield, demolished 0.9 mi
-
Fort Wayne
Building, built 1842, by Montgomery C. Meigs
Photo: Taubuch at https://www.flickr.com/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.9 mi
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- James A. Garfield School (built 1896), in Detroit, Michigan 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.