Staff photo by Brett Mountain

A new wall goes up at the east end
of the Darchei Torah

4,-

Making Room

Darchei Torah refurbishes and adds on to its building to accommodate hundreds of students.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN

Stee'Writer

W

hen students at Yeshivas
Darchei Torah in Southfield
return to their classrooms
next month, they will be able to see the
tail end of construction that began just
before they left school last spring.
Major renovations and additions,
started on May 1, are expected to be
completed at the end of October on the
campus on 12 Mile Road, east of
Lahser.
"We are renovating one-third of the
present building and making significant
additions," said school President Dr.
Henry Kroll of Oak Park.
The $2 million expansion and reno-
vation will include the 7,000-square-
foot Debbie and Mickey Stern
Preschool Wing; the 15,000-square-foot
Gloria and Ed Meer Yeshivas Darchei
Torah Building, which will house the
boys' high . school, and the 7,500-
square-foot Sonia and Hyman
Blumenstein Gymnasium, dedicated by

the Borsand, Blumenstein and Fishman
"We have always struggled for space
families in memory of their parents.
as we have grown," Dr. Kroll said of the
"It is through the vision of these
323-student school.
donors who recognize the crucial nature
Ten years ago, when the girls' school
of a Jewish day school education that
moved to the present site, the boys were
we are able to provide this for the future in rented space at Nine Mile and
of the Jewish people," Dr. Kroll said.
Evergreen roads in Southfield. They
Before the work began on the 40-
joined the girls in the current location
year-old building that has housed the
in 2000.
school for the last 10 years,
Dr. Kroll credits many,
there was discussion of new
including staff at the Jewish
construction for the boys'
Federation of Metropolitan
school on land already pur-
Detroit, for their assistance
chased by the school at 10
is keeping the school run-
Mile and Greenfield roads
ning. "We also worked
in Oak Park.
with architect Seymour
"A decision was made by
Mandell (of Southfield)
the board of directors that
and builder Merrick Farber
the best long-term plan for
(of Farber Equities in
the community's children
Farmington Hills) on the
was to upgrade and expand
construction," Dr. Kroll
at our present site," Dr.
said.
Dr. Henry Kroll
"Randy LeCompte
Kroll said. "Using just one
site means we can have one
[Federation's director of
administrative staff and the cost of run-
property management] has been our
ning the school will be more fiscally
liaison with the planning. And in addi-
responsible.
tion to annual allocations of $102,000

provided to us by Federation, our cur-
rent building is owned by them
[through their banking/real estate arm,
the United Jewish Foundation]. We
maintain it, but they allow us unlimited
),
use of it, rent free.
Federation also helped out with the
sale of the school's unused property on
10 Mile Road.
"They land-banked it for us," Dr.
Kroll said. "That means we were able to
get our purchase price by selling it to
them, but they will hold onto it for us
in case we ever want to buy back the
land to build on it.
"We also have the ability to access the
Shiffiuian Family Day School Tuition
Assistance Fund that allows scholarships
for students who otherwise would not
be able to have a day school education."
With construction almost complete,
Dr. Kroll said, he does not expect the
outside work to disrupt what goes on
inside the building. "Hopefully, there
will be no interference with the normal
course of our school days as the new
year begins," he said. ❑

J14

8/18
2005

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