Willard Building | |
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Location | 150 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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Coordinates | 42°57′47″N85°39′52″W / 42.96306°N 85.66444°W Coordinates: 42°57′47″N85°39′52″W / 42.96306°N 85.66444°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1929 |
Built by | Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. |
Architect | Benjamin W. Hertel |
Architectural style | Classical Revival, Art Deco |
NRHP reference # | 12001172 [1] |
Added to NRHP | January 14, 2013 |
The Willard Building, also known as the Peacock Building for the distinctive terra cotta decorative birds spaced at the top of the facades, is a retail building located at 150 East Fulton Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. [1]
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.
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.
Dr. Willard M. Burleson began practicing medicine in Grand Rapids in 1899. He was joined by his brother, the practice grew, and he began specializing in the non-surgical treatment of "rectal disorders." In 1911, Burleson purchased an apartment building, the Wellington Flats, located at the present site of the Willard Building. He renamed it the Burleson Sanitarium and moved his practice into the building. At first, unused rooms were rented as hotel rooms, but by 1920 the practice had nine doctors and was using all the rooms. The practice moved out of the building in 1927. Burleson died the next year, and some of his partners went on the form the Ferguson Droste Ferguson Hospital while the Burleson Sanitarium continued to operate under the direction of Buleson's brother. [2]
In 1929, Burleson's estate demolished the former Wellington Flats and hired contractor Owen-Ames-Kimball, and their in-house architect, Benjamin W. Hertel, to construct a new single-story commercial building at the site. The building was completed and open for business in 1930. Among the first tenants were a Kroger grocery and bakery, an antique shop, and a florist. A series of other tenants filled the building through the Great Depression, into the 1950s, and on into the 21st century. [2]
The Kroger Co., or simply Kroger, is an American retailing company founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the United States' largest supermarket chain by revenue, the second-largest general retailer and the seventeenth largest company in the United States. Kroger is also the fifth-largest retailer in the world and the fourth largest American-owned private employer in the United States. Kroger is ranked #17 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.
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.
The Willard Building is a single-story, tan brick, L-shaped, commercial building located on a street corner, having two main facades. The building mixes Classical Revival and Art Deco design elements. Multiple storefronts line both facades, separated by terra cotta piers decorated with urns, crests, and acanthus leaf designs. Across the top of the building is an undulating parapet with terra cotta trim. At the top of each pier is a distinctive multicolored terra cotta peacock. [2]
Art Deco, sometimes referred to as Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture and design that first appeared in France just before World War I. Art Deco influenced the design of buildings, furniture, jewelry, fashion, cars, movie theatres, trains, ocean liners, and everyday objects such as radios and vacuum cleaners. It took its name, short for Arts Décoratifs, from the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes held in Paris in 1925. It combined modern styles with fine craftsmanship and rich materials. During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.
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