1912 Sanborn Fire Insurance Mao
Grand Rapids, Kent Co, Mi
North Side
with additional identifying information from the City Directory
Page 2
Market Ave NW Judson's
Grocery Warehouse (Bob's), .Leonard Exposition Block (Leonard Bldg and Helmer
Bldg
now covered in a green and white exterior wrap)
City Mission (parking lot), Columbia Theater (Savoy), Sybill's Hat Shop
Mutual Home would be built at 86 Market.
Market Ave SW
GR H&C Railroad waiting room
Ottawa Ave NW
Louis St NW
Fulton St E
Ferry
Originally ended at a ferry landing, then a railroad bridge, now the Big Blue
Bridge used by Grand
Valley students to drink at bars.
Page 3
49-73 Louis St NW
1-55 Ionia Ave NW
Masonic Temple (Bishop Furniture), Barnhart Block
22-80 Ottawa Ave NW A J Brown Seed Co
43-73 Ferry
Railroad Tracks and octagon Watch Tower
73-99 Monroe Ave NW People's Saving Bank, railroad
ticket offices, Drug Store
55-109 Fulton St E
Page 4 Notice
the Porter Block where later Herpolsheimer's would be built taking over
Commerce Avenue NE, the Gilbert Building and that little triangle at Louis. Now
the GRPD.
The Rindge Building was very unique built to fit the add triangle space but it
was already gone
when I was a child replaced by Anderson's Art Supply's now a parking lot.
Rindge, Kalmback, Logie jobbers of boots and shoes. Is that Mayor Logie's
family?
Ira M Smith Dept Store must have been long gone by the time I arrived.
Commerce Ave NW vacated for Herpolsheimer's in 1948
Monroe Ave NW Gilbert Block with Ira Smith
Dept. Store,
Ionia Ave NW
Division Ave N Porter Block (replaced
by Herpolsheimer's in 1948)
Louis St NW
Fulton St E
Rindge. Kalbach & Logie
Page 5
New Raniville Power Co Bldg (never heard of it but there was an old red brick
building that had been
the telephone company built on what had been the jail on an island before the
east branch of the river
was filled in. Campau Avenue runs right over what used to the the east branch of
the Grand River.
Lyon St NW
New Raniville Power Co Bldg.
Pearl St NW
New Raniville Power Co Bldg
Louis St NW
Foster Stevens
Campau Ave NW runs above the old east channel of the
Grand River. Harold and Bertsch Shoe co.
Page 6
200-218 Lyon St NW
200-229 Pearl St NW
Pantlind Hotel
129-173 Louis Ave St NW
135-199
Monroe Ave NW
Banks, Weston Bldg, Telephone Exchange, Springs Dept Store
Boston Store, Widdicomb Bldg (Kresge's)
100-102 Campau Ave NW
75-99 Market Ave NW
Interurban Hotel, Eagle Hotel
Page 7
80-148 Lyon St NW
100-147 Pearl St NW
Powers Theatre Building showing the Arcade, Powers Theater (Midtown)
Putnam Block, Business College,
26-52 Fountain St NW
Steketee's
72-198
Monroe Ave NW Steketee's, Morton House,
Bank, Wonderly Bldg, Electric Substation,
07-173 Ottawa Ave NW Ledyard Bldg, Waters Bldg
63-95 Ionia Ave NW
Morton House, Steketee's
Page 8
Ashton Bldg, Klingman Bldg, Mich State Telephone Co
Houseman Bldg, YMCA, Federal Bldg, Michigan Trust, Peninsula Club
YWCA in the ,Shephard Bldg, Manufacturer's Bldg
Lyon St NW
Pearl St NW
Houseman Bldg, YMCA,
Fountain St NW
Peninsula Club, YWCA in the Shephard Bldg, Michigan State Telephone Co
Ottawa Ave NW
Houseman Bldg, Michigan Trust Co
Ionia Ave NW
United States Government Bldg - federal court and post office, Furniture
Exchange Bldg -
Waters Bldg, Manufacturer's Bldg, Ashton Bldg, Klingman and Waters Bldg
Division Ave N
Manufacturer's Bldg
Monroe Ave NW
GR Savings Bank
Page 9 Mostly residential
101-165 Barclay Ave NE
Central High School Shops,
100-163 Ransom Ave NE
Central Grammar School
100-161 Bostwick Ave NE
2nd Reformed Church, Women's Home, VanDriele & Co Flour Mill
102-156 Division Ave NE
Dickenson Bros, Michigan Engraving Co, White Printing Co, St. Mark's Episcopal
Church
Clark Pl NE
2-128 Lyon St
15-131 Fountain St
Page 10 Partly residential
1-75 Barclay Ave NE
1st Reform Church (merged with 2nd to form Central Reform Church)
1-75 Ransom Ave NE
Temple Emanuel (later Holy Trinity Orthodox), Hoffman Apts (Park Apts), St
Cecelia
2-74 Ransom Ave NE
Sacred Heart Academy (Aquinas College)
42-73 Bostwick Ave NE
154
Fountain St NE
Central Place Apts, Fountain St (Baptist) Church
121-167 Fulton St E
Undertaker
1-131 Park St NE (Library) Grand
Rapids Public Library, Undertaker, Standard Mfg, Majestic Theater
2-35 E Park Pl NE
Park Congregational Church
7-35 W Park Pl NE (Sheldon) Fulton Street Park
12-72 Division Ave N
I do not remember this First Methodist church. The Keeler Building was expanded
to
reach the corner. There was a travel agency, Western Union and Andy's Fine
Foods. Now
it's empty.
Murray Building is now a parking lot.
Botsford Building is still there but empty. Used to be Allen's bookstore. I was
hired the same
day as a man. The boss said, "For him the pay is $1.75, for you $1.65, He gets
an hour
lunch, you don't need lunch, both of you have to know the New York Times Best
Sellers
List and you have to know all the children's books". Gee, I get paid less but
have to know
more and I don't get lunch?
1-25 Monroe Ave NE
Kendall Block
Pages 11 and 12 missing
Page 13 Mostly residential
.
126-246 Prospect Ave NE
125-247 College Ave NE UBA Hospital.
Mary Free Bed Guild began by paying for a bed (all expenses)
in the UBA Hospital for a crippled
child. UBA moved in with the new Blodgett Hospital
in East Grand
Rapids while Mary Free Bed has its own hospital on Wealthy St.
Then Fountain Street School replaced the UBA Hospital when Fountain was displaced by
a new Central High School,
2-39
Oakley Pl NE
136-171Clifton Pl NE (vacated)
137-171 Lyon Pl NE truncated and renamed Goldsboro when Central was built. Now
vacated.
400-480
Crescent St NE
428-481 Lyon St NE
Page 14
401-479 Fountain St NE
Central High School
403-481 Fulton St E
2-122
Prospect Ave NE
1-111 College Ave NE
Page 15 All residential
Grand Ave NE
Union Ave NE
College Ave NE
Parkwood St NE
Hawthorne St NE
Lyon St NE
Fountain St NE
Campbell Pl NE
Page 16 All residential
Grand Ave NE
Union Ave NE
College Ave NE
Fountain St NE
Atwood St NE
Fulton St E
Stanley Terrace (private)
Portsmouth Pl
Page 17
Eastern Ave NE
Grand Ave NE
Bruce Ave NE
Lyon St NE
Parkwood St NE
Hawthorne St NE
Fountain St NE
Baxter Laundry. The empty lot to the east had a short centered cement stairway.
East Pl NE
Page 18
2-76 Grand Ave NE
Eastern Ave NE
Fulton St E
Fulton Street Cemetery
701-753 Fountain St NE
700-752 Atwood St NE
741-753 Lockwood St NE
Page 19
Diamond Ave NE
Diamond Avenue School
Houseman Ave NE
Houseman Field
Langdon Ave Ave NE
Lyon St NE
Avery Chapel
Sophie St NE (vacated)
Fountain St NE
Page 20
1-75 Diamond Ave NE
2-76 Holland Ave NE
942-956
Fountain St NE
953- 967 Fulton St E
Fulton Street Cemetery
Zeeland Ct NE
Van Dine Pl NE
Custer Pl NE
Batavia Pl NE
Page 21 Residential with many empty lots
Fountain St NE
Vernon St NE
Fruit St NE
Helen St NE
Laura St NE (Lilac)
Fulton St E
Mack Ave NE
Caroline Pl NE
Doezema Pl NE
Inlet Pl NE
Stormzand Pl NE
Iris Pl NE
Aster Pl NE
Page 22 residential with many empty lots
Fulton St E
Salvation Army Evangeline Home for Unwed Mothers, a Tudor style house
Evangeline St NE
Fuller Ave NE
Auburn Ave NE
Benjamin Ave NE
Arthur Ave NE
Lowell Ave NE
Page 23
This was men's territory. Cops stood in the middle of the street and directed
traffic.
The street lights were on dark green poles at the corner.
212-232 Lyon St NW
Nelson-Matter Furniture (site of Civic Auditorium)
214-244 Michigan St NW
small stores
Erie St NW
Huron St NW
(site of Louis Campau's Trading Post)
Lock Ave NW
221-351 Monroe Ave NW
Hekman Co Retail Furniture
225-347 Mill Ave NW
Valley City Milling, Globe Milling, GR Furniture Co, Adolph Leitelt Iron Works,
Bissell Carpet Sweeper, Diamond Steel Truck Co, Butterworth & Lowe Machine Shop,
A canal separates Mill Ave from Bank Ave
300 Bank Ave NW
New England Ct NW
Page 24
National Biscuit Co, St. Elmo's Hotel, Kent Co Courthouse,
Norris Block (Interurban Waiting Room), Orpheum Theater,
Bertsch Bldg, Engine House #4, Wurzburg's (old location)
Monroe Ave NW
Wurzburg's Dept Store, Orpheum Theater,
Bond (Kent)
Bertsch Bldg,
Ottawa Aves
Michigan
Crescent St NW
Fire Barn #4,
Lyon St
Page 25
Michigan St NE
GR Brewing Co, Immanuel Lutheran Church,
Crescent St NE
GR Police HQ, Kent Co Detention Hospital, Crescent Park
Lyon St NE
City Hall,
Ottawa Ave NE
Elks Temple
Ionia Ave NE
Bostwick Ave NE
Butterworth Hospital
Division Ave N
N Division School and Oral School for the Deaf,
Municipal Ct NE
Clark Pl NE
Dutch Reformed Church
Page 26 Mostly residential
Michigan St NE
Crescent St NE
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (Spectrum Theater)
Lyon St NE
Church of Christ
Bostwick Ave NE
Ransom Ave NE
Barclay Ave NE
Page 27 ,
Clancy Ave NE
Devore Hospital
Lafayette Ave NE
Prospect Ave NE
Barclay Ave NE
Fire Barn
Hastings St NE
Michigan St NE
Crescent St NE
Catherine Pl NE
vacated
Victory Ct NE
private now gone
Claremont Pl NE
Page 28
Hastings St NE
Michigan St NE
Holland Home for the Aged, Michigan Street Elementary School,
Patterson Institute for morphine addicts
Prospect Ave NE
North Ave AveNE
The 1/4 1/4 line for Section 19
Sinclair Ave NE
College Ave NE
Allen Park Pl NE
Page 29
Crescent St NE
Crescent Street Floral
Innes St NE
Lyon St NE
Aldrich Deaconess Home, Herpolsheimer's Stables
College Ave NE
Union Ave NE
Michigan Pl NE
Antisdell Pl NE
Page 30 Mostly Residential and many empty lots.
Michigan St NE
Crescent St NE
Innes St NE
Lyon St NE
Benson Ave NE
Grand Ave NE
Eastern Ave NE
Section Line
Pg 31 All residentail
800/801-848/9 Crescent St NE
800-856 Innes St NE
801-901 Lyon St NE
800-856 Michigan St NE
200-358
Eastern Ave NE
204-358 Houseman Ave NE
Pg 32
Page 106 Sanborn
Page 32 Sanborn
926-1000 Michigan St NE
Crescent St NE
Innes St NE
Grand Rapids Brick Co
925-957 Lyon St NE
210-358
Diamond Ave NE
306-336 Dorrie Ave NE
Pg 33
Trowbridge St NE
Hastings St NE
Berkey & Gay Furniture
Michigan St NE
Grand Trunk Terminal, Valley City Milling, Hermitage Hotel, Bridge St House,
560
Monroe Ave NE
Criswell Furniture Co, GR Grain & Milling, Elexander Dodds Wood Working, Ohio
House
GR Blow Pipe, E. Letellier & Co, Clarendan Hotel, Century Furniture, Royal
Furniture,
Berkey & Gay Furniture
Bond Ave NE
Waltz Bldg
Pg 34
Trowbridge St NE
Trowbridge St NW
Hastings St NE
Octagon House, Dutch Protestant School,
Hastings St NW
Stairs between Ionia and Ottawa
Michigan St NE
Michigan St NW
Ottawa Ave NW
Holland American Aid Society, Temple Beth Israel, G J Johnson Cigar co
Ionia Ave NW
Holland Unitarian Church
Fairview Ave NE
Hilton Pl NE
renamed Parmenter (usurped by extension of Division Ave c. 1927)
Pg 35 ,
Newberry St NW
Sixth St Bridge
Fairbanks St NW
Trowbridge St NW
Monroe Ave NW
GR Machine Tool, Grand Trunk Freight Warehouse, Wolverine Brass Works, Mueller &
Slack Co
Bond Ave NW
GR Foundry, E Wonnier Wood Turning Co, Berkey & Gay Lumber Yard
Ottawa Ave NW
Hauser, Owen & Ames Tractor Supply Yard
Page 36
Newberry St NE
stairs between Fairview and Ionia
Fairbanks St NE
stairs between Fairview and Ionia
Trowbridge St NE
not open between Fairview and Ionia
Ottawa Ave NW
Ionia Ave NW
Fairview Ave NE
Bradley Laundry
Taft Ct NE
Page 37 Mostly residential
Newberry St NE
Fairbanks St NE
Trowbridge St NE
Fairveiw Ave NE
Livingston Ave NE
Coit Ave NE
Coit Avenue Elementary
Coit Ct NE
Hester Pl NE
This is where my mother lived when she attended Coit School
Dexter Pl NE
Page 38 Epworth Methodist Church
Trowbridge, Hastings, Michigan Sts
Fairview, Livingston, Coit Aves
Dexter, Hester Pls
Page 39
Fairbanks, Trowbridge, Hastings Sts
Coit, Clancy, Lafayette Aves
Page 40 Coldbrook Creek
Fairbanks, Trowbridge, Hastings Sts
North, Sinclair, College Aves
Page 41
Highland Park, Church of the Good Shepherd, Trinity Episcopal
Michigan St
College, Paris, Union
Dudley Pl
Page 42 right side
Bissell, Flat Sts
Grand, Harlan Aves
Page 42 left side
Highland Park, Coldbrook Creek
Harvey, Michigan Sts
Grand, Harlan Aves
Page 43
Flat, Capen Sts
Houseman, Emerald, Eastern, Harlan Aves
Page 44 Coldbrook Creek, Tenburg Planing Mill, Polish Hall
Houseman, Emerald, Harlan, Eastern Aves
Harvey, Michigan Sts
Page 45 St. Isidore's Casino, Coldbrook Creek, St. Isidore's RC Church
Baraga, Harvey, Michigan Sts
Diamond Ave
Page 46
then East of Fuller Grand Rapids Brick Co (future Hillcrest School)
Michigan St
Fuller Ave
Missing 47, 48, 49
Page 50
Sanborn
Coit Ave NE
Livingston Ave NE
Fairview Ave NE
Look Out Park.
Reservoir Ave NE
City Water Reservoir. This is where they shot off the 4th of July fireworks.
Division Ave N
Dexter Pl NE
Mason St
Observatory St NE
Reservoir Park. There used to a winding road off Division Ave N
that led up to the top of the hill where there was an adult baseball diamond.
Started out as Village of Kent Cemetery. Now that the hill has been leveled
it's called Belknap Park. What's left of the hill is mistakenly called Lookout
Park.
Page 51 above is missing
Page 52 is missing
Page 53
Cedar St NE
Walnut St NE
Shirley St NE
Matilda St NE
College Ave NE
North Ave NE
Page 54 Unusual house with mansard roof, Bradford Mission
Lydia, Bissell, Bradford, More Sts
College, Paris, North Ave
Page 55
Fire Barn # 5, Coldbrook Christian Reform Church, Connor Foundary
City Warehouse and Repair Shop, Coldbrook Creek, Coldbrook Pumping Station,
Waddell Mnf.
Frank St NE
Leonard St NE
Barnett St NE
Coldbrook St NE
Monroe Ave NE
Taylor Ave NE
dividing line between Walker Twp and Grand Rapids Twp
Ionia Ave NE
Page 56 below is missing
Leonard St NE
Barnett St NE
Gill Ave NE
Plainfield Ave NE
Page 57 Creston Park (now public housing), Coldbrook Creek, Oliver Machinery Co
Barnett St NE
Coldbrook St NE
Cedar St NE
Coit Ave NE
Lafayette Ave NE
Clancy Ave NE
Page 58 is mising
Page 59 St. Alphonsus Church
Page, Carrier, Leonard, Barnett Sts
Plainfield, Coit Aves
Page 60 St. Alphonsus, St. John's Orphanage, East Leonard School
Page, Carrier, Leonard, Barnett Sts
Lafayette, North Aves
Page 61
Post Office Creston Station, Mich Bell Telephone Creston Exchange,
First Trinity Baptist Church
Quimby, Caledonia, Grove Sts
Coit, Plainfield, Taylor Ave
Grove Pl
Page 62
Grove, Leonard St,
Page Ct
Plainfield, Taylor Ave
Page 62 Out side City limits Marywood Academy
Fulton St
Lakeside Dr
Page 63 below is missing
Quimby, Spencer Sts
Coit Ave
Page 64
Quimby, Ames, Spencer, Page Sts
Berlin Pl
Buffalo, Lafayette, Maude, North Aves
Page 65
Spencer, Fernando, Curtis, Brenner, Carrier Sts
North, Ford, College, Paris Aves
Page 66 below is missing
Sanborn's were updated between publication dates. This page was changed on Sept 1936
Spencer, Curtis, Brenner, Carrier, Page, Leonard Sts
Paris, Union, Columbia, Ashland, Penn, Portland Aves
Page 67 Coldbrook Creek
Carrier, Leonard, Barnett, Hubert, Coldbrook Sts
North, College, Paris Aves
Page 68
Creston Christian School, East Leonard Christian Reformed Church
Milk Depot, Poultry
Sanborn's were updated between publication dates. This page was changed on Sept 1937
Spencer, Page, Leonard Sts
Emerald, Houseman, Diamond, Spring Aves
Page 69 City (river water) Filtration Plant,
Sweet, Caledonia Sts
Monroe, Taylor Aves
Page 70 Grand Rapids Store Equipment built 1925.
Caledonia, Howland, Frank St
Monroe, Taylor Aves
Page 71
Lafayette Avenue goes through and Plainfield Avenue School is gone but that
didn't happen until
1933 so this page must be an example of cut and paste which I used to do at the
assessor's office.
I called it Playing Paper Dolls.
Sweet, Hanover, Florence, Quimby Sts
Forrest, Fern, Plainfield, Lafayette Aves
Below is missing
Page 72 B. F Edge Lumber
Sweet, Colfax, Quimby Sts
Coit, Queen, Taylor Aves
Matthew's Ct
Page 73
Sweet, Marietta, Sts
Forrrest, North, College Aves
Below is missing
Page 74 October 1939, Lewis Kunst and Son florist
Kent Hills, Marietta, Quimby, Spencer Sts
College, Union Ave
Page 75
above is missing
Page 76
Palmer, Travis, Dale, Sweet Sts
Center, Coit, Sweet Ave
Page 77
Palmer, Travis, Dale Sts
Coit, Lafayette, Plainfield
Page 78 Creston High School
Oswald St
Plainfield Ave
Page 78 Village of North Park outside of City Limits heavily affected by I-96
, GR Railway Co tracks
American Legion
North Park was
North Park St
Cottage Row, Monroe Ave
Terrace Walk
78 below missing
Page 79
Naval Reserve Armory, Cities Service Bulk Oil Station, GR Chair which was
occupied by
Bishop Furniture until recently when they just closed up shop and moved down
south. ,
Burr Oak, Dean, Ann Sts
Monroe, Taylor, Palmer Aves
Cusick Pl
Page 80
Burr Oak, Dean, Ann Sts
Center, Coit Aves
80 below is missing
Page 81 Palmer School
Burr Oak, Dean, Ann, Palmer Sts
Coit, Wilbert, Lafayette,
Plainfield Ave
Page 82
Hoover, Norton, Dean, Ann, Palmer Sts
Oakwood, Plainfield Aves
Eastern Ave Gravel Pit
No street given but behind Creston High School Kent Country Club
Page 83 There is no official record of Woodward St.
Knapp, Elmwood, Burr Oak St
Coit, Lafayette, Graceland, Swensberg, Prospect Av
These pages were added after 1912:
Page 84
above is missing
Page 85 November 1923, site of Farmers' Market
Fruit, Fountain Sts
Mack, Fuller, Auburn, Benjamin, Arthur Aves
Page 86 November 1923, Calvary Reform Church
Fulton St
Lowell, Mayfield, Baynton Aves
Page 87
above is missing
Page 88
Nov 1923: This page not corrected since October 1939
Woodworking & Furniture Specialists
Site of new hospital (don't think a hospital was ever built here.
It's Royce Rolls Ringer Co. Whose address is 16 Riverview Terrace)
I went to school with their daughter who played the harp. I think they were
Greek Orthodox.
Riverview Terrace
Knapp St
Philpot, Coit Ave
Page 89 November 1923, Blessed Sacrament RC Church when they started in an old theater.
Eleanor, Kenwood, Julia, Graceland St
Paris, Plainfield, Edgewood Ave
Cheshire Dr
89 below missing
Page 90 September 1938 2nd Congregational Church,
Comstock Blvd, Cheshire Dr, Marywood Dr (500-600 block)
Evelyn, Helena, Eleanor, Dorroll, Knapp Sts
Paris, Graceland, Coit, Swensberg, Lafayette, Edgewood, Melitta, Rowe, Eastern
Ave
Page 91 Sept 1941 Fairmount Public School
Eleanor, Kenwood, Julia, Graceland Sts
Oakwood, Lafayette, Prospect, Sinclair, Paris Aves
Comstock Blvd, Marywood Dr, Cheshire Dr
Page 92 Sept 1931 St. James Lutheran Church, Briggs Park
Marywood Dr
Graceland, Knapp, Elmwood, Hoover Sts
Plainfield, Sinclair, Oakwood, Prospect Ave
Page 93 Sept 1931
Graceland, Knapp Sts
Eastern, Duiker, Emerald, Houseman Aves
Page 94 Sept 1932 Church of God, Aberdeen Public School
Ellsmere, Kelsey, Northlawn, Oaklawn, Beechwood, Hollywood,
Arlington, Conger, Aberdeen, Dorroll Sts
Plainfield, Foster, Eastern, Emerald Aves
Pasadena Dr, Sligh Blvd,
Page 106
Innes St NE
Sophie St NE GR Consolidated Brick & Tile; Sprague Yard now Houseman Field
Diamond Ave NE
, Sophie Sts
Fuller Ave most likely SE corner of Michigan St. GR Cons B & T; Fuller Yard
Will Ave near Alpine and Ann St Gunn Folding Bed Co.
106 below missing
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