Redford Township District No. 5 School, Early 20th century rural school in Redford Township, Michigan.
Redford Township District No. 5 School is a red brick structure with symmetrical proportions, a centered entrance, and a hipped roof crowned by a small belfry. The main floor originally held two classrooms with additional spaces in the basement, and a seven-classroom addition was built during the late 1950s.
Built between 1916 and 1921, the structure replaced two earlier schools on the same site: an 1842 log cabin and a wooden-frame building from the 1870s. The new school was constructed to meet the needs of a growing community.
The school building reflects how rural communities adapted to population growth, with families settling in the area and education becoming central to their daily lives.
The building can be viewed from outside and shows features typical of early rural school design. The area reflects the transition from farmland to suburban development that reshaped the region.
The building was designed according to specifications from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and stands as one of the last examples following these official standards. Such structures reveal how state authorities shaped rural school construction in the early 1900s.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
