About Cesar Chaves
Cesar Chavez is a newer charter school in Detroit. Located in a Latino neighborhood, the school is a focus of education and community to the residents of the area.

Their Need
In February of 2005 Cesar Chavez saw an opportunity. They were paying high rent for a retrofitted warehouse detrimental to quality education. They needed an alternative that would provide a prime educational setting in a few short months. Additionally, they had prejudices against modular construction.

The Whitley Solution
In January of 2005, our distributor, IMS, told the Chavez board, to their surprise, that a new building could be ready in time for the fall semester. He added that a new school would save a year’s rent and would be custom designed for higher education. They could pay for the structure in a few short years with rent savings. Whitley presentation drawings allowed the board to “see” how their building would look and to allowed them to modify the building to best suit their needs. Working closely with the school and our distributor, Whitley was able to design a 35,000 square foot two-story facility with ample classrooms, a suite of offices, ceramic lavatories, recessed lockers, storage spaces, an efficient heating plant and a cafeteria that met the demands of the board. We were then able to build the modules, complete site work and finish the building within eight months. The building evokes pride in the neighborhood and in children who attend the gleaming facility.