Grosse Pointe Academy
Encyclopedia
The Grosse Pointe Academy is an independent day school located at 171 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan
. Originally known as the Academy of the Sacred Heart, the campus buildings were designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1987.
The site on which the Grosse Pointe Academy now sits was originally a French ribbon farm
running from Lake St. Clair
to Ridge Road. In 1867, the Religious of the Sacred Heart, an order of cloistered nuns, obtained the property, and the next year a small public school was built on the property. In 1885, the nuns planned the construction of a boarding school for young ladies, teaching grades K–12, on the property. The school was built in 1887 along the property line sperating the academy from Saint Paul's, so that the nuns could enter the building from within the property and the students could enter from the parking lot of St. Paul's. The remainder of the property continued to be a self-sustaining farm. In 1899, the chapel was added.
In the late 1920s, recognizing the need for more space, the sisters sold off the portion of the farm beyond Grosse Pointe Boulevard and used the proceeds to build a new education building and renovate the chapel. Farming continued on the property until the 1940s. In 1969, the Sisters deeded the property to a lay Board of Trustees, who continued the educational mission of the school as the Grosse Pointe Academy, a co-educational day school.
. Seven buildings are situated on the site, of which five are contributing structures to the historic district: an 1855 farmhouse, four large educational buildings dating from 1885 to 1930. The last two structures, a 1939 headmaster's house and a maintanence shed, are non-contributing.
Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan
Grosse Pointe Farms is a suburban city bordering Detroit located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It ranks as the 76th highest-income city in America. The population was 9,479 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Grosse Pointe on the west, Detroit on the north, Grosse Pointe Woods...
. Originally known as the Academy of the Sacred Heart, the campus buildings were designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1987.
History
Ribbon farm
Ribbon farms are long, narrow land divisions, usually lined up along a waterway. In some instances, they line a road.-Description:...
running from Lake St. Clair
Lake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...
to Ridge Road. In 1867, the Religious of the Sacred Heart, an order of cloistered nuns, obtained the property, and the next year a small public school was built on the property. In 1885, the nuns planned the construction of a boarding school for young ladies, teaching grades K–12, on the property. The school was built in 1887 along the property line sperating the academy from Saint Paul's, so that the nuns could enter the building from within the property and the students could enter from the parking lot of St. Paul's. The remainder of the property continued to be a self-sustaining farm. In 1899, the chapel was added.
In the late 1920s, recognizing the need for more space, the sisters sold off the portion of the farm beyond Grosse Pointe Boulevard and used the proceeds to build a new education building and renovate the chapel. Farming continued on the property until the 1940s. In 1969, the Sisters deeded the property to a lay Board of Trustees, who continued the educational mission of the school as the Grosse Pointe Academy, a co-educational day school.
Description
The Grosse Pointe Academy is situated on a long strip of land between Lake Shore Drive and Lake Saint Clair, and directly adjacent to Saint Paul Catholic Church (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan)Saint Paul Catholic Church (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan)
The Saint Paul Catholic Church Complex is located at 157 Lake Shore Rd. in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. The group includes a French Gothic style church, a Neo-Tudor rectory, a Colonial Revival parish hall, a Neo-Tudor school building, and an Elizabethan Revival convent...
. Seven buildings are situated on the site, of which five are contributing structures to the historic district: an 1855 farmhouse, four large educational buildings dating from 1885 to 1930. The last two structures, a 1939 headmaster's house and a maintanence shed, are non-contributing.
Current Use
The Grosse Pointe Academy is now a co-educational day school emphasizing Christian and Catholic values. The school enrolls children in a Montessori Early School (ages 2½-5), a Lower School (Grades 1-5), and a Middle School (Grades 6-8).External links
- Grosse Pointe Academy homepage