Webster Reimagined:
Honoring History, Building Community
Webster Community Center sits on what used to be the Michigan State Fairgrounds. The building was commissioned in 1919 and was opened as Webster Elementary School in 1921. The building operated as an elementary school up until 2007 when it was closed for lagging enrollment. Through much of its rich history, Webster was the preeminent school in Pontiac serving children from the west side of the city and it was often on the cutting edge of new educational techniques and high achieving children.
Between 2007 and 2015 the building sat vacant and wide open. Vandalism and wear began to set in and the building looked destined for the wrecking ball, along with many other Pontiac public school buildings.
However, in 2017, the building was purchased by Micah 6 Community, a small community-based organization who had been doing work in the community since 2012. Micah 6 set the vision, worked with the community, and raised the funds needed to rehabilitate the building. Construction began in April of 2024.
The building has been placed on the National Historic Registry and its restoration had to fall into Department of Interior standards for preservation. From April of 2024 to April of 2026, workers bent wood, hand crafted plaster moldings, and resculpted exterior decorative concrete. Each trade who contributed to the renovated building was incredibly skilled and the results are in the final product.
In total, this building was a $34 million dollar renovation.
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