Exhibitors Building (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Last updated
Fine Arts Building
FineArtsBuildingGrandRapidsMI.jpg
Location220 Lyon St., NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Coordinates 42°58′01″N85°40′26″W / 42.96694°N 85.67389°W / 42.96694; -85.67389 (Fine Arts Building) Coordinates: 42°58′01″N85°40′26″W / 42.96694°N 85.67389°W / 42.96694; -85.67389 (Fine Arts Building)
Arealess than one acre
Built1925 (1925)
Architectural styleRenaissance, Italian-Renaissance
NRHP reference # 82000537 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 12, 1982

The Exhibitors Building, previously known as the Fine Arts Building, is a commercial office building located at 220 Lyon Street NW in Grand Rapids, Michigan, adjacent to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. [1]

Grand Rapids, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Grand Rapids is the second-largest city in Michigan and the largest city in West Michigan. It is on the Grand River about 30 miles (48 km) east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 1,005,648, and the combined statistical area of Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland had a population of 1,321,557. Grand Rapids is the county seat of Kent County.

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is named after Amway Corporation, which is based in nearby Ada Township.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

Contents

History

In 1875, Felix Raniville and Simeon Sikes, opened a leather-goods workshop specializing in industrial belts. Raniville soon bought out his partner, and later purchased a larger building on Pearl Street, long with adjacent property on Lyon. He built a small factory and power plant on the river at the end of Lyon Street and between 1900 and 1910 constructed what is now the Exhibitors Building next to the plant. The building was originally designed to house business offices that were rented out to smaller companies. [2]

In 1925, during Grand Rapids' furniture-making boom, local developer Gustave Hendricks conceived the idea of developing a set of furniture exhibition buildings located near the city's largest hotel, the Pantlind (now the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel). He first purchased the Nelson-Mather Building located across the street from the Pantlind; space in the building was sold out even before Hendricks completed the renovations. Hendricks then purchased Raniville's office building on Lyon, extensively remodeled it to house furniture showrooms, and renamed it the Fine Arts Building. However, during the Great Depression, many exhibitors had to give up their space; with declining tenancy, the building was taken over by the city for back taxes. In 1943 the city leased the building to the US Army Weather School. [2]

Great Depression 20th-century worldwide economic depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how intensely the world's economy can decline.

In 1945, a group of local businessmen purchased the building and re-renovated it to house furniture showrooms. They changed its name to the Exhibitors Building. In 1970, the building was sold to Hollis M. Baker, and in 1979 the Amway Properties Corporation purchased the building and incorporated it into the Amway Grand Plaza complex. [2]

Description

The Exhibitors Building is an eight-story, trapezoid-shape, commercial building constructed of buff brick. The building measures 213 feet by 100 feet. It has terra cotta Italian Renaissance friezes and pilasters on the facades using beige, green, yellow, ochre, and red terra cotta tiles. Tilework images include griffins, fruit festoons, lion heads, and details symbolic of furniture-making. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. 2013-11-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Margaret Slater (August 1982), National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fine Arts Building, National Park Service