After Years of Abandonment, St. Vincent Readies For Renovation

Remember Saint Vincent, the previously abandoned Corktown middle school slated to become a boutique office building? The property has been emptied of rubbish and secured, but the ownership still awaits a green light from the City of Detroit to begin renovation activities. In the meantime, we figured it would be good to grab some shots of the conditions pre-renovation. The mid-century architecture looks bland from the outside, but this was no ordinary school. The building was a mashup of church facilities, classrooms, and dormitories (for nuns!). Plenty of evidence of that history remains within.

Renovations will take place floor-by-floor, working from the bottom up. The finished product will be a boutique office building catering to those seeking short-term leases, like freelancers or small businesses. Eventually, it'll offer everything from single rentable offices in the old nun's dormitories to entire office suites (up to 16,000 square feet) in the old classrooms. Wireless internet, 24-hour keycard access, and common area lounges are all planned.

As it stands, Saint Vincent is far from move-in ready. The electricity throughout the school is sporadic (some of these photos were possible only through the combined illumination of several iPhone flashlights). Some especially energetic scrappers smashed huge gouges in the walls in search of pipes.

Considering it was abandoned in 2002, however, many things are in pretty decent shape. There are great mid-century office details all over, including some of the door knobs. The stained glass in the third floor chapel is intact, as are some terrazzo floors. (For a closer look at Saint Vincent's history, see our original post from January)

· An Abandoned School is Corktown's Next Big Renovation [Curbed]
· Saint Vincent Corktown [Official]