The Nankin Mills School was built in 1937 for the children of the workers at Henry Ford's Nankin Mills factory. The school had a large classroom, activity room, two hallways, and a machine shop downstairs. It also had indirect lighting, plastered walls, eggshell colored woodwork, and pine flooring.
The Livonia Public Schools acquired the property in 1969 and the school was used until 1982.
Moving the Building to Greenmead Historical Park
In January 2015, the donation of the school to the City of Livonia was accepted and preparations to move the building to Greenmead Historical Park began. On Tuesday, October 25, 2016, the school was moved over a nine-hour period from the corner of Farmington Road and Ann Arbor Trail to Greenmead via Joy, Inkster, Seven Mile, and Newburgh Roads.
RESTORATION and RENOVATION
The next phases included building a foundation, moving the schoolhouse onto the foundation, and restoring the interior and exterior. The school's new home is on the west side of the Kingsley House.
The schoolhouse was moved to its final location on July 20, 2017. Foundation and basement work was completed in December 2017. Interior and exterior work continue through 2021 as funding becomes available.
