A Grand Century

The Changing Face
of
Downtown Grand Rapids

Nowhere in Grand Rapids are the past century’s physical changes more apparent than downtown. Entire blocks of buildings were torn down and replaced during the urban renewal of the 1960s. As these images clearly show, 19th century brick and stone commercial and retail structures, rich in ornamentation and detail, gave way to modern glass-covered buildings with minimal exterior trim. Earlier, automobiles and buses replaced streetcars, and in the late 1950s
a US 131 expressway ramp took the place of the train depot.

Through all the changes, one constant has persisted. Grand Rapids’ downtown was—and still is—the heart of West Michigan. Whether drawn by commerce, entertainment, or government,
all roads still lead to downtown Grand Rapids, just as they did 100 years ago.

		1. Two new railroad depots were built during the century’s first decade. Union Station, opened in 1900 on Ionia Avenue south of Fulton Street, stood for several decades as testimony to Grand Rapid’s place as West Michigan’s transportation hub. [The Gateway. Union Station and Train Shed / Dean-Hicks-Record Building / Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway Executive Offices. [p.1] of Grand Rapids Michigan, U.S.A. Grand Rapids : Dean-Hicks Printing Co., 1904, 1910].
		2. The view east from Bridge Street was far different than it is today. Gone are the Berkey and Gay factory building on the far left, the Grand Trunk Depot (replaced by the Post Office), the Grand Rapids Brewing Company halfway up the Michigan Street hill. The Hall of Justice replaced the industrial buildings on the far right in the 1960s. Also shown is the fifth bridge to be constructed at Bridge Street. [Swanlund Postcard Collection 89-2-10]
		3. Looking north on Monroe Avenue, one could not help but be impressed with the city’s busy streetcar traffic, and the new Pantlind Hotel, opened in 1915. [Monroe Ave. looking North from Campau Square. 54-6-4. Camera Shop]
		4. In the early 1920s, Campau Square In the early 1920s, Campau Square was dominated by the new Fourth National Bank Building, which would be extended to 10 stories in mid-decade. [Monroe Ave. looking Southeast from Campau Square. 54-19-36. Camera Shop]
		5. Downtown Grand Rapids streets were busy with pedestrian and automobile in the years after World War II. [GRPL Photo Collection 54-19-36]
		6. This 1940s view down Monroe Avenue from Fulton Street captured a city on the move. The Porter Block on the left would be replaced by the new Herpolsheimer’s Store in another year. [Robinson Studio Collection 125-HO15315-B]
		7. East and west freeway construction in the late 1950s and early 1960s forever changed Grand Rapids’ urban landscape. [Aerial Grand Rapids. Oct. 5, 1966. Robinson Studio Collection. 125-934-37 ]
		8. By the early 1980s, construction of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel (right) and the Grand Center dramatically altered the downtown Grand River landscape. [Grand Rapids Complex Center, looking S.S.E. Greater Grand Rapids Convention & Visitor’s Center Collection photo]
		9. Several brightly lit bridges (a project of the city’s 1988 Sesquicentennial celebration) give a sense of vibrancy and vitality to Grand Rapids after dark. [Photo courtesy Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Brian Kelly, photographer. Night Aerial View, looking NW, at Grand River, with Ford Museum partly visible left foreground].

| Intro | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s |