For generations, this school has been celebrated as one of the oldest remaining Detroit Public Schools buildings in the city. The school was designed by the esteemed firm of Malcomson & Higginbotham and opened its doors for the first time on Jan. 10, 1898.

The school was named after Melissa Margaret Rose (1833-1892), who started out as a second-grade teacher around 1858 at the Bishop Union School. She became the principal at the Abbott Street School in 1865, and after going through a couple of schools became the principal at the Everett School from 1872-1889. After the 1889 school year, she took a leave of absence as she fought brain cancer. She died at Grace Hospital in 1892 and is buried in Woodmere Cemetery.

More on this building coming soon.