Courville Elementary School
18040 Saint Aubin St, Detroit, MI 48234
-Abandoned 2007
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History of Courville Elementary School
Courville Elementary was built in 1921 as the rapidly expanding Detroit Public Schools District needed another school. The original building was finished in 1922. The school is named after Elizabeth Courville, a principal and teacher who died in a car accident in 1916. A 1929 expansion to the school doubled the size of the building. This expansion included a second gymnasium, which was uncommon in Detroit elementary schools. Upon completion of the expansion in 1929, the school became home to a dedicated café , a double-decker auditorium, and two gymnasiums. This was nothing short of impressive for an elementary school. Along with the size of the building, this school was a jewel of Detroit schools. In later years , throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the school was known for its choir, which performed in many cities across the U.S. In 2007, the school was down to half of its capacity at 570 at its closure. The school was ultimately closed due to its condition in 2007 as part of the Detroit Public Schools downsizing between 2007 and 2012. Even with the closure, the music never died, as the choir program was moved to Mason-Farwell School in 2008. The Mason-Farwell School closed in 2012. The music program of the two schools was then transferred to Farwell Jr . High School . The school was sold to the land bank in 2015.
Recollection from the author
Courville was by far the most beautiful of the abandoned Detroit schools we have explored, from the windows to the still relatively still good condition building. The banners still intact on the wall took me back to my early grade school days. Many pieces of the building that told a rich story still intact almost 20 years later. The auditorium and gyms though not the best we have seen was a contender for the best. For a very early closing school in the Detroit Public Schools downsizing throughout 2007 to 2012, This school was a survivor, and lasts to this day while many like it have fallen such as Jane Cooper Elementary.
All lockers have been scrapped out of the school
Windows of one of the staircases
Display case with a tree as art inside
Main hallway looking towards staircase
A very interesting banner considering the school closed in 2007
Wideshot of the banner
A banner from 2002 still in nearly perfect shape
closeup of banner
A word of advice from the CEO of Detroit public schools Kenneth Stephen Burnley which was the CEO of DPS from 2000-2005 and passed away on August 5th, 2011
The auditorium hosts a balcony
Once this auditorium would have hosted the choir of dreams
Auditorium Stage
Stage left side
stage right side
Wideshot of auditorium seating
Auditorium from the balcony
1st floor seating from the balcony
The Auditorium has some of the most beautiful windows in any Detroit public school
Balcony seating
Back entrance to balcony
Wideshot of balcony with seating and stage in one shot
While the seats are basic the show would have been one to see
Side exit to main hallway from auditorium
Northeast gym part of the 1929 expansion
The northeast gym hosts two rope swings
Side room entrances of the gym
Possibly once a scrapper ladder in the 1929 gym
A board with some letters still intact on the 1929 gym floor
Original Gym entrance
The original gym is in poor shape
Much of the floor has warped and broken apart. Two rope swings are also present in the original gym just out of frame
Like the 1929 addition gym this one features similar items on the wall
Though decayed a beautiful set of windows lets the light in similar to the auditorium
Cafeteria shot 1
Cafeteria shot 2
Cafeteria shot 3
Cafeteria shot 4
Cafeteria shot 5
Cafeteria shot 6 (kitchen serving area)
Cafeteria shot 7
Cafeteria shot 8
Staircase leading down from Cafeteria
Vending Machine in Staff Lounge
Union board in staff lounge
Main office shot 1
Main office shot 2
Main office shot 3
the library
Library shot 3
Left side of the library
Above the bookshelves a display of capital and lowercase letters is present
The Eastern wing of the school is in very poor shape
Play room in very poor shape
Small corridor by the kindergarten room
Kindergarten room shot 1
Kindergarten room shot 2
Kindergarten room shot 3
Side classroom next to Kindergarten room
Many locations of once lockers show exposed pipes and other utility work
Looking at the eastern wing
Eastern wing staircase
Though decayed the light fixtures remain surprisingly intact
Wall plate displaying a teacher that taught grades 3 and 4
Longshot of main hallway from staircase
The main hallway is very much intact
Cable tray once used to transport cables into the wall with ease
Science classroom, out the door to the far left is the greenhouse
Teacher cabinet
Looking towards the greenhouse from the server room with a big hole in the wall
Mail for teacher rooms in main office
Hallway board that once held information
staircase next to auditorium
A board at the top of the staircase
2nd floor main hallway
Even on the 2nd floor all lockers have been scrapped
Staircase in the middle of the building
One of the classrooms
A decayed yet still beautiful stairwell
Close up of the stairwell
Another classroom
A classroom with little to nothing left
Some type of staff room
Another teacher cabinet in one of the classrooms
One of the few classrooms with excessive graffiti was this one
A information banner on school safely on one of the classrooms
Another shot of the main hallway from the staircase
A beautiful work of architecture in the hallway
In the eastern wing a beautiful design lines the wall
Staircase on northern end
Another staff room
Information board in the main hallway
Main hallway looking south
Ice has taken over this staircase
A VPS board used to keep people out has been placed in this classroom
A door with many dentist stickers
Inside of that same room
Outside board of the school
Main facade of the building
Main entrance to school with the name of the school carved into the building "Elizabeth Courville School"