University of Detroit Jesuit High School & Academy has purchased part of the former Michigan State Fairgrounds site, bringing the school into a 142-acre parcel that has become one of Detroit's most closely watched redevelopment zones. The acquisition adds the school to a stretch of land at 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue that already includes a massive Amazon distribution center and a newly built transit hub.
The purchase was first reported by Crain's Detroit Business, which covers the deal as part of its commercial real estate reporting. U of D Jesuit, founded in 1877 as Detroit College according to SAH Archipedia, is one of two Jesuit high schools in Detroit. The school has occupied its current campus on South Cambridge Avenue near Seven Mile Road since 1931.
A Site Shaped by a Decade of Reinvention
The fairgrounds parcel the school is now tapping into has a long and winding history. The Michigan State Fair ran on the grounds for more than a century before the state ended funding after 2009, leaving the 142 acres vacant for a decade. The City of Detroit eventually purchased 90 percent of the property from the State Land Bank Fast Track Authority in April 2019 for $7 million, as detailed by Michigan Public.```**That link needs placement. Let me restructure.**
Amazon, Transit, and Commercial Growth Nearby
In August 2020, the city announced a $400 million redevelopment plan for the 142 acres, anchored by an Amazon distribution center. Then-Mayor Mike Duggan highlighted the project as a major job generator for a city facing elevated unemployment at the time, per Michigan Public's reporting. More recently, the city opened the $31 million Jason Hargrove Transit Center at the site in May 2024, adaptively reusing the historic 52,000-square-foot Dairy Cattle Barn as a hub serving five bus routes: 4 Woodward, 12 Conant, 17 Eight Mile, 30 Livernois and 54 Wyoming, as reported by BridgeDetroit. The transit center was named for DDOT driver Jason Hargrove, who died of COVID-19 in 2020 after publicly describing a passenger coughing without covering her mouth, and Hoodline previously covered its award-winning design.
Earlier interest in the corridor included a March 2018 announcement that Detroit and Magic Johnson's firm were to buy old fairgrounds land, according to The Michigan Chronicle. In 2021, the historic fairgrounds bandshell was slated to see new life at nearby Palmer Park, per People for Palmer Park.
An Earlier Property Proposal
In 2017, the school proposed buying a shuttered facility.
That 2019 purchase agreement came with a binding Community Benefits Agreement providing five annual scholarships to local students and free monthly meeting space for neighborhood associations, as outlined by The Neighborhoods. The agreement also established a seven-member advisory committee to oversee shared facility usage and neighborhood programming, reflecting a model the school has used before to balance expansion with civic commitments.
A School Rooted in Staying Put
U of D Jesuit's growth strategy traces back to a pivotal decision in January 1977, when school leadership formally resolved to remain in Detroit rather than relocate to the suburbs, committing to a racially and socioeconomically diverse student body within city limits. That decision was reaffirmed on its 40th anniversary in 2017 as foundational to the school's ongoing mission, according to SAH Archipedia's historical record.
The fairgrounds land purchase adds to the school's presence in northern Detroit.
