Burt Elementary School
Thomas Burt
was a prominent landowner and local figure in the early development of what is now considered northwest Detroit.
The Burt family was instrumental in the early development of the area once known as Redford Township.
Construction on the current Gothic Revival-style building began in 1925 under Redford Union Schools.
It featured brown brick, decorative stonework, a distinct "U-shaped" structure designed for 580 students.
The building's original chimney stack was famously constructed inverted during the original build and subsequently rebuilt. By 1954, enrollment increased by 350 students, requiring an additional wing to be added. By 1970, the school was at capacity. Following a massive district downsizing, Burt Elementary officially closed its doors in 2010.
Preserving History
Nearly every room in this building was built for the purpose Ring Shout Foundation intends to restore it to. This is not adaptive reuse. It is a return. Room designations are sourced from the original 1926 architectural drawings produced by the Detroit Board of Education Architectural Planning Department —making it a strong candidate for National Register of Historic Places.
Big ideas, real impact.
Ring Shout Foundation's 3.43-acre grounds will be developed as a fully productive food system anchored by a permanent production garden occupying a designated portion of the site. The production garden grows vegetables, fruits, herbs, and edible plants across rotating seasonal crops selected for yield, nutritional value, and community preference
