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Frank H. Beard School

The City of Detroit grew throughout the 18th and 19th centuries by annexing the villages and townships that surrounded. Most of what is known today as southwest Detroit was originally part of Springwells Township, which had its own school district.

In 1886 the district built a four-room school named for US President James A. Garfield on the corner of Lafayette and Waterman. When the building became overcrowded it was replaced in 1896 with a modern two-story structure with 12 classrooms designed by Malcomson and Higginbotham.

Springwells School District was annexed to Detroit in 1906. Because Detroit already had a school named for Garfield, the building on Waterman was renamed for Frank H. Beard, who had served as a member of the school board for many years.

Beard school was replaced with a new building in 2001 and converted into an early childhood center. The program closed in 2014, though the building continued to be used until 2016 when it was vacated.

A multiple alarm fire in July of 2022 destroyed much of the building. The remains were demolished in October of that year.