Abandoned School of Nursing Left Everything Behind

The history of this abandoned school of nursing started in 1922. One of Detroit’s hospitals was fortunate in being the winning recipient of a gift of a 500K grant to help fund and construct a new nursing training school and nurses residence. The purpose of the grant money was to building a nurses' home and school as a memorial to the nurses who served during the World War I. The nursing school and residency opened in 1922 and was a stunning Italian Renaissance style architectural gem made of brick and limestone. At one time, the school and residency featured dorm style rooms, large suites for both administrators and graduate school nursing students, classrooms, a reception hall, an auditorium, a library, a laboratory, a conference room, and a large porch facing sunken gardens and tennis courts which, all were used by the student nurses.

The nursing school went on to provide education, training, mentorship, and most importantly happiness for both pupils and administrators alike for over 60 years. The 1980’s, in complete contrast to the roaring twenties, were financially troubled times for the City of Detroit and it eventually trickled into many local businesses and organizations, including the hospitals. The once thriving nursing residency and school was closed, as the hospitals were forced to make budget cuts resulting in many of the hospital programs to be on the chopping block. Although the nursing program continued to go on and even still operates today, it was moved from its historic location.

After the nursing students all moved out, it underwent expensive renovations to transform the building into….office space. The old nursing school continued to be utilized by the hospital as office space for various programs for another thirty years. In 2018, as the aging building approached 100 years old, it began to have structural damage; such as leaking roofs, broken elevators, and even mold. The annual maintenance costs continued to skyrocket, so the offices were eventually moved out of the building and the place was once again empty, where it still sits today. As of 2023, the century old once pride and joy for Detroit’s nursing student population, still sits vacant awaiting another chapter in its life.