Eastern is all but gone: Rubble and memories remain

Photographer Raymond Holt captured what remained of the Jon Young Auditorium this morning as a demolition crew prepared to finish tearing down old Eastern High School landmark building on Pennsylvania Avenue north of Michigan Avenue to make room for University of Michigan Health-Sparrow expansion plans. – Raymond Holt for City Pulse

The remains of Jon Young Auditorium of old Eastern High School after E.T. MacKenzie Co. employees quit work Friday. The auditorium is on the left. Some seats remained facing what was once the stage. Chandeliers were still hanging. In the background are buildings belonging to University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, which has expansion plans for the 18 acres that were once part of Eastern’s campus. – Raymond Holt for City Pulse

Holt said he counted a dozen Art Deco or Arts & Crafts-style chandeliers original to the auditorium. Four more remained unaccounted for. Last-ditch efforts by Lansing Mayor Andy Schor failed Friday to save them. – Raymond Holt for City Pulse

This undated and uncredited auditorium photo taken from the stage was included in a 1978 history of the scho

UM-Sparrow preserves little as it makes room for expansion

(This story has been updated to clarify that a portion of old Eastern High School was still standing this morning.)

TUESDAY, April 1 — Little but rubble remains of the landmark old Eastern High School, which graduated 10s of thousands of students from its 1928 opening through the class of 2019.

Photographer Raymond Holt captured what was left today, as the demolition crew from E.T. MacKenzie Co. of Grand Ledge prepared to finish the job that it started less than a month ago. They have until May to complete demolition and haul away the wreckage under a $2.1 million contract with University of Michigan Health-Sparrow.

UM-Sparrow spared little. Spokesperson John Foren listed what wasn’t destroyed:

— Some of the 1,660 seats from the Jon Young Auditorium and several light fixtures were given to the Ovation Center of Arts & Music under construction in downtown Lansing.

— Some chandeliers were given to the Ovation Center and the city of Lansing, but apparently none of them were the 16 Art Deco or Craftsman-style fixtures that hung in the auditorium, most of which could still be seen after the demolition crew tore off the auditorium’s backside Friday.

— “Bricks will be distributed to the public, plus bricks engraved with names of individuals are being saved for our memorial garden,” the homage planned for a slice of the 18-plus acres of old Eastern’s campus that UM Health System acquired in taking over Sparrow Health System two years ago.

— Flagpoles were given to Capital City Family BMX, which Foren said had them.

— The 1927 cornerstone and stone arch are being saved for the memorial garden.

— A large conference table was donated to the Lansing School District.

Not mentioned was the fate of the west wing’s iconic cupola, which UM-Sparrow promised to save right up the moment the demolition crew destroyed it after what appeared to be a haphazard and improvised attempt to bring it down in one piece.

(For more on this story, see this week’s City Pulse, which will be published tomorrow.)

Eastern is all but gone: Rubble and memories remain

UM-Sparrow preserves little as it makes room for expansion

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