Photographic Proof That Detroit Is the Home of Ilvermorny, J.K. Rowling’s North American Wizard School (UPDATED)

I’ve got big news for Harry Potter fans. Some of you may have read my earlier post (“Why Detroit Is the Perfect Home for Ilvermorny”), which collected my arguments for why I thought that the Motor City would make an ideal location for J.K. Rowling’s recently announced North American wizarding school. Well, my daughter and I were so eager to get our theory confirmed that we took a drive down to Detroit to see if we could find any evidence of Ilvermorny. And guess what? WE FOUND IT!

You could see Ilvermorny all over the Motown and we had a terrific time checking out the classrooms, the library, the Great Hall – what a school!

I posted the first batch of our Ilvermorny pictures on my Instagram account and I’ve collected some of the best ones below. I have even more to share, so keep checking back to see more snapshots from our amazing school visit. (You can read more of my Ilvermorny theories and tweets, if you follow the #ilvermorny hashtag on Twitter.)

And, fellow Detroiters, if you have additional photographic evidence that Ilvermorny is, in fact, in our beloved city, please share links to the pictures in the comments below. I know the “official” announcement of Ilvermorny’s location hasn’t been made yet, but I am really proud to see so much evidence of the noble wizarding tradition in my hometown. I think Detroit would be (and is) a great home for Ilvermorny.

We have photographic PROOF that Detroit is the home of Ilvermorny, JK Rowling’s recently announced North American wizard school. We visited the campus of #Ilvermorny today and it was amazing! Here’s the main building, cleverly disguised from Muggles. And we have a lot more to share. #HarryPotter #Ilvermorny #Detroit #detroitisilvermorny #HarryPotter #jkrowling @pottermore

A photo posted by Tom B. (@buildingalibrary) on

Our next stop on Detroit’s Ilvermorny campus was the East Hall — this is where the first years take their history of magic and transfiguration classes #detroitisilvermorny #Ilvermorny #HarryPotter #jkrowling #Detroit #detroitisilvermorny @pottermore

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This is the potions classroom. The Ilvermorny professors are much nicer than Snape or Slughorn #HarryPotter #detroitisilvermorny #Ilvermorny #Detroit #jkrowling @pottermore

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Took a break in between classes to catch up on our “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Ilvermorny’s Detroit campus has a fantastic library #fantasticbeastsandwheretofindthem #Ilvermorny #detroitisilvermorny #jkrowling #Detroit #HarryPotter

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One reason why we’re glad Ilvermorny is in Detroit: It has a remarkable series of Herbology greenhouses. Neville Longbottom would be in heaven #Ilvermorny #Detroit #detroitisilvermorny #HarryPotter #jkrowling @pottermore

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Muggles think this train station is a ruin, but that’s all thanks to a clever enchantment. It’s really where students catch the Ilvermorny Express… #HarryPotter #Ilvermorny #detroitisilvermorny #Detroit #jkrowling @pottermore

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Did you know that Detroit has it’s own magical passage to Diagonal Alley? We picked up some great wizard swag during our trip to Ilvermorny #jkrowling #Detroit #detroitisilvermorny #Ilvermorny #HarryPotter #diagonalley @pottermore

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They weren’t serving dinner in the Great Hall during our visit. The house elves had cleared it out for a SPEW meeting. Glad to see Detroit still supporting union labor #Ilvermorny #Detroit #HarryPotter #detroitisilvermorny #jkrowling @pottermore

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You can find the secret passage to the fourth-year common room behind this unbelievably cool painting. The password is “Detroit vs Everybody.” #Ilvermorny #Detroit #detroitisilvermorny #HarryPotter #jkrowling @pottermore

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We got lost in the halls of Detroit’s Ilvermorny campus and had to cast a locator spell to get out. We felt like such first-year noobs… #Ilvermorny #detroitisilvermorny #Detroit #HarryPotter #jkrowling @pottermore

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The astronomy tower at Ilvermorny's Detroit campus is very cool. Think wizard steampunk. Perfect for the modern student of Divination #Ilvermorny #detroitisilvermorny #Detroit #jkrowling #HarryPotter (Be sure to check out our other pics from our visit to JK Rowling's North American wizarding school) @pottermore

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We visited the Owlery during our visit to Ilvermorny's Detroit campus and mailed our local bookie our #SuperBowl pics. The Chudley Cannons are playing tonight, right? (Be sure to check out our other pictures from our visits to #Ilvermorny!) #Detroit #detroitisilvermorny #HarryPotter #jkrowling @pottermore

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We found a secret passage in Ilvermorny's west wing, thanks to our Marauder's Map. Is this the way to Detroit's Room of Requirement? (Check out our other pics from our visit to JK Rowling's North American wizarding school — located in #Detroit!) #HarryPotter #jkrowling #detroitisilvermorny

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Ack! Ilvermorny has its own Chamber of Secrets! Retreat! #Ilvermorny #HarryPotter #jkrowling #detroitisilvermorny #Detroit

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That is one big pensieve! Ilvermorny features the biggest memory-collecting pensieve on the continent. We go big in Detroit #HarryPotter #Ilvermorny #detroitisilvermorny #jkrowling #Detroit

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What's the secret location of Ilvermorny, the North American equivalent of Harry Potter's Hogwarts? It's in DETROIT. Don't believe me? Well, check out the series of pictures my daughter and I took during our trip there last week. There are traces of Ilvermorny all over the Motor City, if you know where to look. You can see the full gallery on my Instagram page or on BuildingaLibrary.com (now updated with new pics!) #HarryPotter #detroitisilvermorny #jkrowling #Detroit @pottermore

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