Change, growth planned for Catholic buildings, schools across Michigan
Carol Cain
Updated 6 min read
Attention graduates of Dominican High School in Detroit:
Chris Lambert, CEO of nonprofit Life Remodeled, is looking to you and others who live near the former Catholic girls high school on the city’s east side to vote on a new name for the facility his organization is planning to open there as an economic, educational and well-being hub in 2024.
Life Remodeled’s efforts and venture, which started in 2011 and have already made a difference in Detroit, are supported by companies including Amazon, Barton Malow (COO Chuck Binkowski is on the board and will serve as chairman starting Jan. 1), Cummins (CIO Earl Newsome also is on the board), GM and Masco.
Lambert is asking for help in settling on a new name that captures the rich history of that iconic corner at McKinney and Houston-Whittier.
Life Remodeled purchased the property for $1.7 million from the Winans Academy of Performing Arts in October, Lambert said. Winans had purchased it, along with 7 acres of land that surrounds it, and ran a K-8 charter school that closed this summer.
Dominican High closed its doors in 2005. I knew its hallways and classrooms well, as did my sisters, as we attended the school. So, too, did thousands of alums out there who attended from 1940 to 2005.
Count metro Detroiter Francine Parker, former CEO of HAP and VEBA, among them. Retired now, Parker is involved in a number of health care, educational and human services boards and organizations.
“Dominican High School helped to shape the lives of many young girls, myself included,” Parker said. “I am excited that its former campus will once again be a learning hub that provides an opportunity to improve the education, health and well-being of its strong community.“
The three names being voted on for the Life Remodeled project are: Anchor Detroit, The Whit and Whittier Pointe. Life Remodeled created a website, namethatbuilding.com, that explains the choices and allows people to vote online through the end of December.
What's Life Remodeled?
Life Remodeled is a Detroit-based organization transforming properties into neighborhood hubs that help the community. The nonprofit purchased the land and school building, which is 87,000 square feet, and will make 50,000 square feet available for nonprofits to bring in afterschool youth programs, workforce development initiatives and more to the neighborhood.
“It’s the ideal location for our first hub on the east side,” said Lambert.
He’s partnering with the nearby Denby Neighborhood Alliance and others in the venture.
Life Remodeled CEO Chris Lambert stands in the gymnasium at the Durfee Innovation Society building in Detroit on Friday, April 28, 2023, where a prom for grown-ups called Prom Remodeled was to be held in multiple areas of the building.
“When the Winans Academy asked us to consider repurposing their building, the Denby Neighborhood Alliance leaders told us they wanted to partner with us to turn this beautiful school building into a hub of opportunity similar to our Durfee Innovation Society,” Lambert said.
The $14.7 million Dominican High project is expected to be funded with $12.7 million in grants and philanthropic gifts and $2 million from New Market Tax Credits, Lambert said. To date, the campaign has raised $4.4 million, Lambert said.
In 2017, Detroit Public Schools Community District moved the K-8 students from the former Durfee Elementary-Middle School building into the Central High School building. Life Remodeled then repurposed the Durfee school into the Durfee Innovation Society, which provides access to youth programming, workforce development, and health and wellness services to more than 25,000 Detroit students and family members each year. That project cost $5.5 million, Lambert said.
President Joe Biden's senior adviser and American Rescue Plan Act coordinator, Gene Sperling, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, alongside other city officials and community members, after a news conference inside the Durfee Innovation Society building in Detroit on Jan. 27, 2023.
Today, nearly 40 nonprofits are involved with the Durfee Innovation Society. It’s the same blueprint Lambert is envisioning for the latest venture.
On the northwest end of town
Speaking of Catholic schools in the Motor City, Loyola High School for boys, in northwest Detroit, has launched a $9 million capital campaign to renovate its campus and secure scholarship funding.
The project will also include a new chapel to be built on its campus, the first Catholic church or chapel to be built in the Motor City since the 1960s, according to Loyola President Dave Smith.
Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron and other dignitaries attended a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 13, 2023 at Loyola High School in Detroit to launch "Empower Loyola: A Campaign for Exceptional Sons." The $9 million capital campaign is expected to benefit construction of a new chapel, funds for teacher retention and support scholarships.
“I’d like to thank the Archdiocese of Detroit, as well as our co-sponsor, the Midwest Jesuits, for their ongoing and unwavering support, along with that of our community and civic leaders,” Smith said.
The “Empower Loyola: A Campaign for Exceptional Sons” was unveiled in September at an event attended by George Blaha, Archdiocese of Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron and dozens of business leaders.
Terry Rhadigan, one of many volunteers who also serves on its board, has been a longtime champion. The school has an impressive track record of preparing boys for college. Loyola was founded in 1993 and has graduated 750 students in the past 30 years.
A rendering of the new chapel proposed for Loyola High School in Detroit.
“Loyola High School is one of Detroit’s hidden gems. It provides a world-class Jesuit education to students who come from challenging backgrounds and changes the trajectory of their lives. They have had 100% college acceptance (among its graduates) for 13 straight years.”
Catholic college news
Detroit business leader Francine Parker also is a graduate of Siena Heights University and serves on its board of trustees. Like Dominican High School, that college in southeast Michigan was founded and sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
There are 1,800 students enrolled today and the college is growing.
Graduates march into the Siena Heights University fieldhouse for commencement May 8, 2022.
Sports resonates, which is why Siena Heights has boldly announced it will launch a women’s flag football team.
The timing is perfect as the International Olympic Committee recently announced it will add men's and women's flag football as part of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
A search for a new head coach is underway, said Sue Syljebeck, director of athletics at Siena Heights, adding the sport will begin play in the spring of 2025.
“The Lions hope this is the first of many such programs at the high school and collegiate level,” the Lions said in a statement. “The addition of the sport at the collegiate level for women is an accomplishment for all football fans in Michigan.”
Added Troy Vincent, executive vice president of NFL football operations: “The university’s commitment paves the way for women to have the opportunity to share the valuable life lessons of football, pursue athletic scholarships, and aspire to play the game at the most elite levels."
Memory lane
It was mention of the Lions supporting women’s flag football that took me back, way back.
As a student at Dominican, I was involved in theater, the school’s newspaper and yearbook. I also played on its basketball and softball teams, ran track and played flag football as the school participated in a few exhibition games.
We played those games proudly wearing actual Detroit Lions game day jerseys — which the team loaned to show its support. We were better than the Bad News Bears, but not exactly ready for prime time.
There’s zero doubt Siena Heights’ new Women’s Flag Football team will fare much better.
Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and noon Sundays on Detroit 50 WKBD. It can also be found on those stations’ listings on FUBO, Pluto TV, Youtube.com and other places. It is also streamed 8 p.m. weeknights on CBSdetroit.com and the CBSdetroit app. See Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on this Sunday’s show.
