When it opened, the school contained 20 classrooms and was intended to hold 640 students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

After major renovations completed in 2012, the building was re-opened as The Henry Ford Academy: Elementary School.

The Duane Doty School is a two-story L-shaped, red brick, hipped roof structure placed on a high, windowed basement.

The central and end bays of the school contain rows of wooden six-over-six sash windows with stone sills.

The roof eaves are supported by paired or triples sets of oversized decorative brackets.