Colonel William Wilkins, a seasoned Civil War veteran and a distinguished member of the Detroit School Board, laid the cornerstone of educational commitment when the inaugural Wilkins School was constructed in 1873. Located on Porter Street near the city’s downtown core, this original edifice served its purpose until the tides of change necessitated its demolition.

As the 20th century unfolded, Detroit experienced a demographic expansion towards its northeast corridors. Responding to this, the year 1923 saw the establishment of several modular classrooms, serving as a prelude to a more enduring architectural commitment. Ground was broken in 1924 for a new, permanent Wilkins School, whose initial unit opened its doors in the crisp air of February 1925. The academic facility expanded with a second structural unit in 1926, catering to an overwhelming enrollment of more than 1,230 students.

However, the winds of time left their marks on the building. At an unspecified juncture, the exterior of Wilkins School underwent a sweeping modernization—its distinctive cornice was truncated, and its windows underwent a complete overhaul, abandoning their original characteristics.

The surrounding neighborhood witnessed a somber descent throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Crime rates escalated, culminating in a harrowing episode in December 2010 when students, while on their way to school, discovered a body ablaze on the margins of Nashville Road.

While initial plans had proposed that Wilkins and its neighboring Flemming School would be supplanted by a brand-new educational facility on the Osborn campus, the designs never materialized. Flemming was repurposed into an early childhood education center, whereas Wilkins battled on against diminishing enrollment and deteriorating infrastructure until 2013, when its doors were closed for good.

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