The original dedication plaque for the building which once served as the Brooklands School and the Rochester Alternative and Adult Center for Education (RACE) has gone missing.
“It is extremely disappointing that someone would take the dedication plaque, which serves a treasured piece of history within our community,” said Superintendent Robert Shaner, Ph.D. “We hope that someone will voluntarily come forward with the missing item.”
“The original plaque commemorating the building was dated 1927. It is important to preserve items which serve as a link to our district’s history,” said Community Relations Director Lori Grein.
Brookland Plaque 1927 Still Missing
The district has filed a police report with the City of Rochester Hills. If the item is not returned, they are prepared to prosecute the offender to the fullest extent of the law.
Built in 1927 on Auburn Road between Rochester and John R., the building was the larger of two buildings in the small Brooklands School District. It remained unchanged for almost a quarter century until 1951 when the community added three classrooms, a multi-purpose room, and a cafeteria. In 1953, Brooklands School joined the Rochester Community School District. The building grew twice its original size when two additional wings were added in the 1960s and 1970s in response to the increasing size of the community. In the fall of 1993, a new building was erected behind the original site, which currently houses approximately 500 students in grades K-5. The older building was then used for the district’s adult education program until 2014.
“We respect the history of the building, but unfortunately, the facility is just too deteriorated to maintain. The safety of our children always comes first,” said Shaner.
Although the building is scheduled for demolition in the summer of 2016, the district plans to preserve items such as the building’s corner stone and the dedication plaque, along with other elements which can be salvaged and repurposed.
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I attended Brookland from the fall of 1938 to spring of 1947. We were there during WWII and most of us were poor but did not know it. My classmates and I took our place with 1947 freshman class at Rochester High School. We did well at RHS which proved that our country school education was pretty good.
Great memories of Brookland School will remain always. Too bad she has to go, she will be missed.