Ypsilanti High School, Ypsilanti, Michigan,USA
Posted by: 
Jagman714
N 42° 14.758 W 083° 36.915
17T E 284239 N 4680398
Ypsilanti High School is located in Ypsilanti, Mi. at 210 W. Cross street
Waymark Code: WMVB8
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 10/15/2006
Views: 80
Cross Street Village, formerly Old Ypsilanti High School, was designed by
Ypsilanti architect R. S. Gerganoff. The neoclassical building was constructed in
three stages. The 1917 three-story southwest wing is a tapestry-brick classroom
building. The southeast wing, added in 1929, includes a central entry with a
clock tower; its classroom wing closely matches the style of the 1917 structure,
creating the appearance of a single building. The simple Art Deco-style two-story
1950s northwest wing, built to house industrial arts classrooms, features steel,
factory-style windows.
After a new high school opened in 1972, the school district used Old Ypsilanti
High School for adult education classes. In 1995 the district closed the building,
which sat vacant until a collaborative community process led to its purchase
several years ago by American Community Builders for conversion to moderate income housing for senior citizens.
Cross Street Village’s 104 apartments, which include eighteen different floor
plans created by Ypsilanti restoration architect Elisabeth Knibbe, are occupied
by many retired Ypsilantians (a quarter of the residents attended high school in
the building). As much as possible, original details of the building have been preserved, including the wonderful Pewabic tiles in the beautifully furnished hallways.
Tourgoers will see several apartments today, including Martha Walton’s on the
second floor of the west wing. A long-time city resident, Walton collects antiques
and old postcards. Another dyed-in-the-wool Ypsilantian, Lou Bunting, displays
her generations of family photos (including some that predate the Civil War) on
the walls of her corner third-floor apartment in the east wing.
The superb restoration/adaptation of the Old Ypsilanti High School is a terrific
example of how small communities can work together to preserve their public
landmark buildings. The Ypsilanti Public Schools, City Council, Historic District
Commission, and city administration worked along with local volunteers from
many organizations to save this architecturally and historically important building
in the heart of Michigan’s second-largest historic district.
Address:
210 West Cross Strret
Ypsilanti, Mi. USA
48197
Web Site: Not listed
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