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House of worship, Cultural Center, since 1922

Tushiyah United Hebrew School-Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church

Still standing, photographed 2011

Tushiyah United Hebrew School-Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, located in Detroit, Michigan, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened
1922
Standing
104 years

Tushiyah United Hebrew School-Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church has stood on E Kirby Street in Cultural Center since 1922, 104 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.

On the map

What is there now

Standing

We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 25, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.

The story

Tushiyah United Hebrew School-Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church opened in 1922, in the years Detroit became the Motor City and built like it meant to stay on top.

The National Register of Historic Places listed it in 2011.

Next time you are nearby, stop at 609 E Kirby Street and look up.

Kirby Center Lofts, formerly the Tushiyah United Hebrew School, later known as the Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, is a former educational building located at 609 East Kirby Street in Detroit, Michigan. This building, an important work of architect Isadore M. Lewis, was constructed as the Tushiyah United Hebrew School and served as the headquarters of the United Hebrew Schools of Detroit.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Timeline

  1. 1922 Built
  2. 2011 Listed on the National Register September 6, 2011
  3. 2026 Today 104 years and still standing

Where it is

609 E Kirby Street

More from Detroit in the 1920s

Around the block

It is in Cultural Center. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.

Photo credits

Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.

  1. Tushiyah United Hebrew School-Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, located in Detroit, Michigan, 2011 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. The landmark St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church, on Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, 2008 Photo: Umdet, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. Tushiyah United Hebrew School-Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, located in Detroit, Michigan, 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.