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Grand Rapids Then and Now


6th Gen local

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[The indoor mall was introduced, and they were sleak and new,

The jet age arrived, and influenced everything from cars (big gull wings) to clothes, to architecture, to movies, to everything,

People thought that we were never going to go back to the old, that we would be in flying cars and personal rocket jet packs, :rofl: ]

I have boxes of old architectural trade magazines from the 1940's to the 1960's and they are filled with articles on how to modernize old buildings, showing before and after pictures of historic buildings being covered with new skin. I'm glad that we are moving away from the idea that old=bad.

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This one is looking Northeast (you can see the backside of the Trust Buiding in the upper portion, and the Ledyard Building through the "demo". This building being demo'd I would guess is the old section of 50 Monroe that was not saved, where the BOB parking lot is now:

pitsch_oops.jpg

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Actually, I believe that part of the building was saved. The wrecking company had an accident while trying to demolish the smokestack (visible in the 'backside' picture) and the damage shown here had to be repaired!

Oops!! :lol: I just now realized that they were all of 50 Monroe :blush:

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Here are some pics of 50 Monroe during the 're-skinning' . I took them when I was young with a cheap camera, so I apologise for the quality.

That's a terrible shame what they did to that building. Think of what it could look like now.

I remember hearing about Pitch's oops there. I think that was when they tried to pull over that smoke stack with a semi. That was a rough year for them, the next week they broke a water main out in front of the old Pantlind and flooded the basement of the small building next to the amway with the old clock on it. Then shortly after that they had a temporary sidewalk enclosure collapse over in Lansing and killed a person.

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I'll post other old downtown pics as I discover them. Most are still in boxes from when I moved to Florida.

Please do. Those first couple of 50 Monroe were great.

I wish I was more of a shutterbug. :/

I have been keeping my digital camera on me lately, though...

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That's probably true.

50 Monroe is really starting to look crummy. The white siding is absolutely filthy. It looks like the outside of an old airport terminal, charred by years of exhaust. :sick:

Edited by torgo
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GR091102_7%20copy.jpg

Photo by photography-plus (obviously).

The lady that takes the pictures has a whole bunch and will sell you prints. I have one framed next to one of those 1880's-era renderings of downtown, and both of the images are from the same angle. It makes for a pretty neat "then-and-now". :thumbsup:

Before US-131

119838212_c4784e92a0_b.jpg

US-131 under construction

119838211_fd6eca5746_b.jpg

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Very cool pictures civitas!

I like how the hill above Belknap park stands out, i think i can see my Grand parents old home that was demolished for I-196 in that picture.

Also, I didnt know there was a trainyard South of the current VanAndel site.

Also, all of the housing that use to be in the area where ITP is now at and the land proposed for the mystery development.

Nice pictures!

Edited by Freezout
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Are those boats on the river in the second picture? Also, does anyone know what happened to the rail lines that ran through downtown? It looks like there was a north/south line cutting straight through CBD.

The rail lines now stop at the massive railyard South of downtown along 131. I had heard that right along Ionia was a Central Station, but I didn't realize how massive it was.

For you magellan's, take a look at the tall structure on Commerce just South of Fulton in the top picture. Wonder what that was? Obviously the top picture was pre-131, post streetcars, pre-urban renewal.

Hey, check out the canal along the West bank of the river too.

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The rail lines now stop at the massive railyard South of downtown along 131. I had heard that right along Ionia was a Central Station, but I didn't realize how massive it was.

For you magellan's, take a look at the tall structure on Commerce just South of Fulton in the top picture. Wonder what that was? Obviously the top picture was pre-131, post streetcars, pre-urban renewal.

Hey, check out the canal along the West bank of the river too.

Never noticed the canal. What would that have been used for?

When 131 was built, is that when the current rail station south of wealthy was built? There must have been alot of demolition required in order to clear the way for that rail station.

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Never noticed the canal. What would that have been used for?

The canal was to feed power, and probably lumber, to the furniture factories along the river. There's even part of an old foundation and a plaque dedicated to the furniture factories along there right by the Van Andel Museum.

:rofl: Nice Kelvinators, civitas!

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Never noticed the canal. What would that have been used for?

When 131 was built, is that when the current rail station south of wealthy was built? There must have been alot of demolition required in order to clear the way for that rail station.

The big canels were on the east side. No one should have been surprised whern the Civic Auditorium had foundation problems. Isn't there a historical monument by GVSU about a mill on the west side?

119857327_c4836e90ea_b.jpg

Edited by civitas
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