On May 25, 1916, the Board of Education voted to purchase the locally historic Arbeiter Hall Property located on the northwest corner of Catherine (later Madison, now Antietam) and Russell Streets, at a cost of $22,500.00.  This site consisted of five city lots and was part of the original Russell Farm.

Architects Malcomson and Higginbotham and consulting engineers McColl and Ammerman were in charge of the construction of Leland School.  Appointed on a year-to-year basis, Malcomson and Higginbotham started working with the school board in the early 1890's.   Bids were received for the school's construction in November, 1917.  Malcolms and Higgenbotham was associated with the Detroit School Board for over 30 Years, and more than 157 school buildings were built in Detroit to their designs including the  Cass Methodist Church, original Central High School(now Old Main, Wayne State), Cass Technical High School, and they were the original designers in the United States of ther Open Air School concept with the original Leland Sxhool on Vermont as their first design.  They were instrumental in bringing fire resitant and "fireproof" construction to school buildings throughout the United States.

Ground was broken for the Nellie Leland School for Crippled Children in the early part of 1918 and the building was completed at a cost of $111,495.00.  The new School for Crippled Children was named "Nellie Leland School" in recognition of the services rendered by Mr. Frank B. Leland and the late Mrs. Nellie Leland in the establishment of open-air schools in the city of Detroit.