Grandville Avenue School
NW 1/4 Sec 36 Walker Twp
Alternate Names: Primary #5, Second Street, Pleasant Avenue, Repair Shop, Adelante.. Replaced by Maplewood
October 1, 1870
Healy C. Akeley and Netie E. Akeley, his wife
Freeman Godfrey and Abby E. Godfrey, his wife
To
Fractional Union School Dist. 1 of Grand Rapids
Liber 63 page 532
Consideration, $2000
Description
All that part of Sec. 36-7-12, described as follows:
Commencing at a point which is 160 rods (2640 feet)
West of the E. line (Eastern Avenue) and 60 rods (990 feet)
South of the N line (Wealthy Street) of said Section running
thence West parallel with the N. line of said Sec. 16 rods (264 feet)
thence North parallel with the E. line of said Sec, 20 rods (330 feet)
thence East parallel with the N. line of said section, 16 rods
thence South parallel with the E. line of said Sec, 20 rods
to the place of beginning. Containing two acres of land.CE
Sept 16, 1877
Edward W. Grant
To
Fr'l Union School Dist. #1 of Grand Rapids
Liber 53 page 113
Consideration, $1
Description
A piece of land 85 feet wide off the South side
of the S. ½ of the S ½ of the N ½ of the NW ¼
of the NE ¼ of Sec. 36-7-12,
lying West of a line extended South of a line
parallel with the E. line of said Sec.
commencing on the N. line of Section
40 rods (660) W. of NE corner thereof. CE
The first deed covers most of the site. The second deed covers a strip of land between the main lot and the railroad tracks.
I have determined that Godfrey and White was sub-divided again, multiple times by multiple others. The lot where the school was located was later part of Grant's Addition which unfortunately was drawn upside down. So I have copied each plat and indicated in red where Second street actually went, approximately. I have marked in red the approximate location of Church Place, Osgood Place. I have marked in orange the approximate location of the school.
Godfrey White Plat Grant Plat Bd of Ed
1870 - lot purchased on Oct 1, 1870 from George H. White and company near Grandville Road in the Godfrey and White Addition..
1872 - top of a steep hill with no road leading to it. Two-story brick building with two rooms furnished for 108 pupils. Value $8,000.
1873 - well of good, pure water.
1875 - Mary or Prescott should be extended westward to school..
1880 -1st Ward, with basement, may be added to. No street yet to Grandville but there is a sidewalk.
1882 - contract let with Hoskins and Maunders to complete the original plan of the building adding four rooms, basement, halls and stairways for $6,882. Two of thee rooms will be occupied October 15.
1883 - renamed Grandville Avenue School. Entrances to older part re-built, new sidewalks laid around building.
1884 - outhouses have been built on a larger scale and located on the rear of the lot. Two old class rooms are not well-lighted.
The Collar and Greiner 1885 map shows this school on lots 1 and 2 but there is no plat name given. A Carpenter Street is shown to the east and there is no road through to the school. Carpenter was changed to Church place in 1892.
1887 - value $25,000.
1888 - steam heat. Ten rooms, four-room addition this past summer.
1888 -
Taken from a book published by the Grand Rapids Press. This church which still
stands today (2008) was just east of the public school. Perhaps it is the
school's roof just visible on the far left.
1891 - First Ward on Second Avenue. Lot is 264' on Second x 330' deep, 2-room annex.
1892 - School rebuilt and four additional rooms added on the north. Slate roof. Basement under all the building. A large tubular boiler. Light an ventilation much improved
1893 - Brick, ten room, well lighted, heated by Mills boiler and ventilated , seating capacity for 500 pupils. Annex on same lot but not connected, one room, heated by stoves, used for kindergarten.
1894 - Heated by Mills boiler. A set of well ventilated water closets were installed.
1895 Sanborn Fire Map:
1895 - renamed Second Avenue School
1896 - Has closets in the basement which are connected with city water and sewer.
1905 - Plumbing condemned
1907 Standard Atlas of Kent County Section 36 Ogle Walker
1912 - "A new building is being planned to take the place of the Second avenue school. Although the site for this school has not been obtained it has been chosen and condemnation proceedings will probably be started in the near future. (GR Herald, 20 Aug 1912, p 3)
1912 - Grand Rapids Herald, 23 Nov 1912 p. 3. After a merry war of words, the Franklin street site for the new Oakland school building was indorsed by the residents of the district at a mass meeting held last night in Second avenue school.
1912 - street renamed, Pleasant Street School
1913 Sanborn shows two wooden school rooms to the east.
1913 - A class of twenty, partly backward and partly ungraded pupils was organized at Second Avenue School. (The limit should be 16)
1914 - to be replaced by New Franklin
1921 Annual Report - Old 1st Ward - lots 1 and 2 of block 21 of Grant's Addition.
1953 Sanborn Fire Map Page 165 shows this school being used as the Repair Department. The lot addresses are 500 and 528 Osgood Pl SW and 425 Pleasant St SW.
1955 replaced by Maplewood and its use for repair to the Service Bldg on Fuller Avenue.
Grand Rapids Press 26 Mar 1998 - bond issue proposal
Adelante High School
425 Pleasant St NW
114 students, 5 teachers
Built: 1955
Existing square feet: 8,838
Proposed new square feet: 7,658
Cost: $2.1 million
Highlights: a $792,000 addition of multi-purpose room and child care rooms,
restrooms, art/science room and kitchen; $596,000 to renovate classrooms,
library and computer lab, replace boiler and roof and upgrade electric system,
and $93,800 for computers and video equipment.
Today (2005) it is on top of a high hill between present day Osgood and Church place just West of an old church, the former Fifth Christian Reformed Church 1886-1957. This neighborhood was recently restored and is beautiful again.
2006 - Sold
From article School History
From Heading History and the City of GrandRapids
From web site: MyCityofGrandRapids.info