History of Guyton Elementary School

Guyton Elementary School is an abandoned school on the far east side of Detroit, near the Vanity Ballroom. It was built in 1922 and named after American soldier Joseph W. Guyton, the first soldier killed on German soil during WWI. The school opened in 1924 and had a capacity of 400 students. A much larger addition was built in 1925, increasing the classroom count from 12 to 31 and raising the student capacity to 1,200. The addition also included a gymnasium, library, playroom, kitchen, lunchroom, and one of the largest elementary school auditoriums ever constructed in Detroit, featuring a 22-foot-tall ceiling. In April 1957, a music room was added, along with other staff rooms. While Guyton still had a sizable number of students at this time, the student population had begun to decline to around 900. It is also noted that Guyton had massive playgrounds for students on the north and south lawns of the school, along with a beautiful garden in the rear of the building. With the start of the 2000s, many Detroit Public Schools began to experience declining enrollment, an ongoing issue that had started in the 1970s. Guyton was scheduled to be among the first schools closed in 2005, along with many private schools that Detroit Public Schools had leased and converted into public schools. However, the community fought to keep the school open and succeeded. It ultimately closed in 2009 when enrollment continued to decline however. Many schools that closed in 2007 and beyond had been scrapped and neglected, but around 2010 DPS began to implement security measures at these schools, and by 2011, Guyton was no different, this helped to keep the buildings intact from vandals. If Guyton had closed in 2005, it is very likely it would be in poor condition today, however, it now stands as one of the best-preserved schools in Detroit among Urban Exploration discussions, however water damage has began to age the building in recent years.