Grand Rapids Historical Commission

Grand Rapids Historical Commission Grand Rapids Historical Commission (GRHC) mission, established by the city in 1962, is to: Collect,

The Grand Rapids Historical Commission was established because one person, retired newspaper reporter Z.Z. Lydens, dedicated himself to the idea that the city needed to bring its published history up to date. On September 11, 1962 Davis appointed Lydens to a newly created Historical Commission, along with Aquinas College professor Lewis Clingman, Gerald Elliott of the Grand Rapids Press, and seven

others. Their charge was to research, write and publish a history of the city, and 'establish a reference library and collection of source material. In 1966 the first copies of The Story of Grand Rapids rolled off the presses. Since then the Historical Commission has published many books and videos about Grand Rapids, its history and its people.

We are sharing some information about an upcoming event at the Grand Rapids Public Library! On September 9, Lynn Liberat...
08/24/2026

We are sharing some information about an upcoming event at the Grand Rapids Public Library!

On September 9, Lynn Liberato will discuss her book Michigan's CON-CON 11: Women and State Constitution-making in 1961. Learn about these pioneering women, including Grand Rapids delegates Dorothy Judd and Ella Koeze, and what it means to be a delegate engaged in revising Michigan's highest law.

Canal and Lyon Corner1902-1910A street scene of the west side of Canal St.(now Monroe) from the corner of Lyon down to P...
08/19/2026

Canal and Lyon Corner

1902-1910

A street scene of the west side of Canal St.(now Monroe) from the corner of Lyon down to Pearl St. where Sweets Hotel has become the Pantlind Hotel, identified by the sign on the roof. Early automobiles line the street, but a horse can be seen on the far right on Lyon St. and perhaps another on Canal. Telephone lines run above the street and at the far left edge a power pole holds a single wire. Trolley tracks run down Canal St. and one set turns onto Lyon. The Kent County Savings Bank, 21 Canal St., is on the corner and a Noble Photos sign is above the second floor of the bank building.

Powers & Leonard NW, No.1Jack Ropoleski - 1979The empty former Heyboer Rexall Drug Store, which occupied two adjacent bu...
08/14/2026

Powers & Leonard NW, No.1

Jack Ropoleski - 1979

The empty former Heyboer Rexall Drug Store, which occupied two adjacent buildings but with a common entrance, stands at the corner of Powers and Leonard on the West Side. Another commercial building of approximately the same era is at the left of the drug store, and a house can be seen beyond an open lot.

Calder St. and OakesSchuyler C. Baldwin - 1879This view looks east up Oakes St., probably from Calder (now Ottawa). Boar...
08/11/2026

Calder St. and Oakes

Schuyler C. Baldwin - 1879

This view looks east up Oakes St., probably from Calder (now Ottawa). Boardwalks run along Justice and all the way up Oakes on both sides. The building at the right front, surrounded by a rail fence, has restaurant and saloon signs in front, and several young trees have been planted in front. Railway cars are on the tracks beside the Union Depot, which is at the corner of Oakes and Ionia, about one third from the top on the left. A building on S. Division stands at the intersection of Oakes, where the street jogs to the right.

Michigan Women's Suffrage, 1912Royal Photo Co. - 1912Five women, identified as Mrs. Lois Jones, Mrs. Fred Rowe, Mrs. C.B...
08/04/2026

Michigan Women's Suffrage, 1912

Royal Photo Co. - 1912

Five women, identified as Mrs. Lois Jones, Mrs. Fred Rowe, Mrs. C.B. Hamilton, Mrs. W. F. Blake, and Mrs. Huntley Russell, work in the office for Women's Suffrage, and the postman at the left brings mail. Four of the women wear white blouses, and Mrs. Jones, wearing a dress, is seated in a swivel office chair, at the left and Mrs. Blake on the right both work at roll-top desks while Mrs. Hamilton in the center is seated at a desk with a large flat surface. A small table on the right holds a typewriter, to its left is a wall calendar with an illustration of a woman, and a portrait of an unidentified man hangs on the wall above the roll-top desk. A pennant with "Votes for Women" hangs from the light fixture, and another sign with the same message is in the windows. A pile of papers sits on the floor below the calendar.

Coldbrook Pumping Station1927The imprint of the generator manufacturer, Allis-Chalmers, is visible at the lower left of ...
07/28/2026

Coldbrook Pumping Station
1927

The imprint of the generator manufacturer, Allis-Chalmers, is visible at the lower left of the first generator and partially on the second. Auxiliary equipment is located on the left under three large windows and on the right against the wall. The open door in the upper center of the picture gives scale to the size of the machinery. Two street lights are placed in the middle of the generators.

Hotel & Breweries AdAdvertisement for the Coldbrook and Eagle Breweries, the Muenchener Hofbrauhaus, and the Ohio House ...
07/27/2026

Hotel & Breweries Ad

Advertisement for the Coldbrook and Eagle Breweries, the Muenchener Hofbrauhaus, and the Ohio House from the Grand Rapids City Directory.

D. A. Blodgett Home for Children, Postcard1916The three story red brick building in Neoclassical style has four white pi...
07/20/2026

D. A. Blodgett Home for Children, Postcard

1916

The three story red brick building in Neoclassical style has four white pillars centrally positioned. A porch runs across the front of the building with access by a double staircase. An inscription on the upper face of the building reads, "Home for Children Erected A.D. 1908."

D. A. Blodgett Home - Mary Free BedEvelyn Lucille Bethea Bedgood - 1938The east corner of the D.A. Blodgett Home is visi...
07/20/2026

D. A. Blodgett Home - Mary Free Bed

Evelyn Lucille Bethea Bedgood - 1938

The east corner of the D.A. Blodgett Home is visible behind the sign that reads, "Mary Free Bed Guild Convalescent Home and Orthopedic Center.

Imperial Furniture Company1918The five-story red brick building has a taller tower, with arched windows at the top, that...
07/17/2026

Imperial Furniture Company

1918

The five-story red brick building has a taller tower, with arched windows at the top, that protrudes from the main building.

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111 Library Street NE
Grand Rapids, MI
49503

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