Famous people's places / Detroit – North End
Northern High School
Closed – archive entry · 2007
North End high school on Woodward (1917–2007) where Smokey Robinson formed the Miracles and Aretha Franklin studied; the building is still a school.
01 / The story of this place
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Northern High School opened in January 1917 on Woodward Avenue in the North End, a grand building by architects Malcomson & Higginbotham whose cornerstone was laid in 1915. It became one of the great schools of the Motown era. Smokey Robinson formed the Five Chimes, the group that grew into the Miracles, while he was a student here, and graduated in 1957. Aretha Franklin attended for about a year before leaving to sing full time, and Four Tops members Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton came through Northern as well. Jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan graduated here, a classmate of saxophonist Sonny Red, and poet Robert Hayden finished in 1930. In April 1966 more than 2,000 students, most of them Black, walked out to protest the poor education they were getting, a landmark protest that forced out the principal. Detroit Public Schools closed Northern on June 22, 2007. The building lived on as the Detroit International Academy for Young Women, and since 2023 it has housed the Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men.
- Opened in January 1917, designed by Malcomson & Higginbotham
- Smokey Robinson formed the Five Chimes, later the Miracles, as a student here
- Aretha Franklin and jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan studied here
- More than 2,000 students walked out in protest in April 1966
- Closed in 2007; home of the Frederick Douglass Academy since 2023
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 6
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Aretha Franklin 1942–2018 · singer, songwriter, pianist
Studied here
She attended the North End high school for about a year before leaving to sing. Since 2023 the building houses the Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men.
- Smokey Robinson born 1940 · singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive
Studied here
His high school, where he formed the Five Chimes (later the Miracles); Northern closed in 2007 and the building has housed the Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men since 2023.
- Tommy Flanagan 1930–2001 · jazz pianist, composer
Studied here
He graduated here, a classmate of saxophonist Sonny Red. The building now houses the Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men.
- Renaldo "Obie" Benson 1936–2005 · bass singer, songwriter
Studied here
He and Lawrence Payton were schoolmates here before forming the Four Tops. The building now houses the Detroit International Academy.
- Sylvia Moy 1938–2017 · songwriter, record producer
Studied here
She studied and performed jazz and classical music here. The school closed in 2007.
- Lawrence Payton 1938–1997 · tenor, vocal arranger
Studied here
He attended Northern High with Obie Benson. The school closed in 2007.
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
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