Grass now pushes through the cracks outside Cooley High. Windows, once bright with student pride, stare back at the city—boarded up and quiet. For years, residents drove past the corner of Hubbell and Chalfonte with one question: what’s going to happen to Cooley?
That question now has an answer.
The Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Foundation has announced two long-awaited capital projects totaling more than $32 million. Cooley High School, closed since 2010, will be redeveloped into a district and community-based athletic campus. Davis Aerospace Technical High School, the city’s gateway to aviation careers, will return to its rightful location at Coleman A. Young International Airport. Both projects are backed by $22 million in state funding, with the remaining balance being raised through the DPSCD Foundation.
These aren’t symbolic gestures. This is Detroit reclaiming control over what’s ours.
Cooley High will undergo a $25 million transformation. The site, once a proud symbol of sports excellence, will become a state-of-the-art athletic facility for DPSCD students and the surrounding community. Fifteen million dollars have already been allocated through a State of Michigan appropriation. The district’s nonprofit foundation is working to secure the remaining $10 million. The project is expected to be completed in 2026.
Plans for the site include an outdoor football field, outdoor track, modernized parking lots, and green space for neighborhood use. The development will serve as the home facility for Cody High School athletics and local youth sports programs. DPSCD has confirmed the demolition of a building on the site, though it has not specified whether that includes the original high school structure. What has been confirmed is the preservation of part of the building, which will be converted into a new locker room, a dedicated museum space for alumni, and a community meeting hub.
The goal is to honor Cooley’s legacy while creating space for Detroit student-athletes to train, compete, and grow without limitations. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti underscored this intention, stating: “Ever since Cooley High School closed in 2010, the community has wanted us to do something special with this legendary site. We are laser-focused on honoring this commitment with an exciting new complex that builds on Cooley’s legacy and creates equitable sports opportunities for Detroit student athletes and the community.”
That word—equitable—is key.
