Northeastern High School

01 / The story of this place

Make time for these

Northeastern High School stood on Grandy Street between East Warren and East Forest avenues on Detroit's near east side, a Detroit Public Schools high school for most of the 20th century. It earned its place in Motown history because so many future stars walked its halls. Berry Gordy went here in the 1940s but left in his junior year to box professionally, years before he founded Motown. In the late 1950s Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, two of the original Supremes, were students here, and Wilson graduated in January 1962. Martha Reeves, later the lead voice of Martha and the Vandellas, trained with Northeastern's vocal teacher Abraham Silver, who also coached Ballard, Wilson and Bobby Rogers of the Miracles. Playwright Ron Milner and Boyne ski resort founder Everett Kircher graduated here too, and the girls' basketball team won the state title in 1975. Northeastern was one of 19 schools Detroit closed in 1982, and the building was later demolished.

1. Berry Gordy left here in his junior year to box professionally
2. Supremes Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson studied here in the late 1950s
3. Vocal teacher Abraham Silver trained Martha Reeves and other Motown singers
4. Girls' basketball state champions in 1975
5. Closed in 1982 and later demolished