Volume 43, number 6
March 2022
Grand River Times The Newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society
Steeple Chase Inside this issue: Cover Story: Steeple Chase Letter from our President page 2
Presented by: Caroline Cook, Grand Rapids Running Tours Part One: The East Side of the Grand River— Thursday, March 10, 2022, 7:00 p.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZMkcOGsqTIrGNJrJNcdurR-TOnWUhQGNF4e
Elly Peterson Book Discussion page 3 (Part Two: The West Side of the Grand River— Thursday, May 12, 2022)
History of the Amway Grand Plaza—Part 3 page 4 Photo Sleuth page 7
Search: Grand Rapids Historical Society
Grand River Times
At one point in time, per capita, Grand Rapids boasted more churches than any other city in the nation. Thus, the awarding of the nicknames, Steepletown or Church City… both monikers given to Grand Rapids because of its many historically significant and beautiful church buildings resplendent with spires. Earliest religion in Grand Rapids began with the missions on the Grand River, then, circuit riders arrived, and pioneers gathered to worship in tents, private homes or rented spaces before these impressive church buildings were constructed. Every wave of immigrants that settled in Grand Rapids fostered their “own” communities of faith. The churches were conduits, connecting settlers with their pasts. The buildings in which they worshipped were also social centers of their walkable neighborhoods. You know, birds of a feather, flock together. As a result, Grand Rapids is now, home to an unusual density of religious buildings. But, with the advent of the automobile and expressways to suburbs, these once ethnically formed church communities ceased to exist. While still open today, these church homes no longer serve just one ethnic group, but many. Continued on page13
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Dear GHRS Members:
The Grand River Times is the newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society, published six times annually. Established in 1894, the Grand Rapids Historical Society is dedicated to exploring the history of West Michigan; to discover its romance and tragedy, its heroes and scoundrels, its leaders and its ordinary citizens. The Society collects and preserves our heritage, passing it on to new generations through books, lectures, and education projects. Executive Committee: Gina Bivins, president Matthew Daley, vice-president John Gelderloos, treasurer Nan Schichtel, secretary Board members: Charles Bocskey Angela Cluley Thomas Dilley Matthew Ellis Chris Kaupa Gordon Olson, emeritus Ed Paciencia Wilhelm Seeger, emeritus Jeff Sytsma Julie Tabberer Jim Winslow Jessica Riley, editor Grand Rapids Historical Society c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Website: www.grhistory.org Grand River Times
The programs for March, April and May have been set. The May date will include a short business meeting at the beginning, which will include the election of Board members and Officers for 2022/23. Are you interested in being more involved in the Society but don’t want to commit to a monthly board meeting? Contact us and let us know your area of interest. We have a program committee and a marketing membership committee. We are also taking submissions for Grand River Times articles, subject to review by the publications committee. To serve on a committee you do not need to commit to monthly board meetings. We are already in the process of discussing possible speakers for next fall. If there is a topic you would like to see us cover or if you know of a speaker that would be of interest to local history minded people I invite you to contact the Society, and give us as much detail as possible. Don’t forget to give us your contact information in case we have questions. Contact the Society at grhs.local@gmail.com. Take some down time to check out the offerings on YouTube contributed by local history organizations. Grand Rapids Historical Society – click on our new logo to find content Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council Kutsche Office of Local History Grand Rapids Historical Commission podcasts www.historydetectivesgr for content from History Detectives 2022/a virtual collaboration
About the Grand Rapids Historical Society. The Grand Rapids Historical Society sponsors eight programs each year, beginning in September and running through May, including lectures, audio/video presentations, demonstrations, collections, or special tours. Membership. Membership is open to all interested persons with annual dues of $30 per family, $20 for seniors and students, or $400 for a lifetime membership. The membership year runs from May to the following May. Members of the Grand Rapids Historical Society receive eight newsletters each year. Members also receive a 20% discount on books published by the society as well as books published by the Grand Rapids Historical Commission. Change of Address. If you will be permanently or temporarily moving to a new address, please notify GRHS before your change occurs. Let us know your new address and the date you plan to leave and plan to return. Email to grhs.local@gmail.com, or mail to Grand Rapids Historical Society, c/o Grand Rapids Public Library, 111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 2
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Continued from front page Gallup has been tracking religious membership since 1937. Then, 73% of us belonged to some house of worship. Today, just 48% do. Church membership is shrinking, to say the least…although, 87% of us still profess belief in a God. We can only imagine what religious services might look like in the future. Steeple Chase is not a complete "history of religion in Grand Rapids” as there is just not enough time. Instead, over two evenings, we will enjoy the stories and photographs of many of the most iconic church buildings still standing in downtown Grand Rapids today. Grand Rapids Running Tours has evolved from running only - to walking, step-on bus tours and virtual tours. The common theme? A love for everything Grand Rapids…its history, culture, entertainment, tastes and exciting growth. All of this goodness needs to be shared; and that’s what founder and Chief Tour Ambassador, Caroline Cook envisioned in 2013. She’s a running enthusiast, a natural cheerleader, and a history nut. As a downtown dweller, she blended her two favorite pastimes, exercise and storytelling…and now narrates the fascinating tales of Grand Rapids lore to visitors, locals, conventioneers, clubs and organizations. With a menu of over 70 unique, thematically organized tours, Caroline has become a local “go to” for healthy, “burn while you learn” events for all ages and abilities. As a speaker, she shares the same enthusiasm in presentation form by adding some technology magic to the narrative for an exciting combination of verbal/vision. Her storytelling is evocative, relevant and entertaining. Book Discussion: Elly Peterson: “Mother” of the Moderates March 22, 2022, 7:00 p.m. https://grcc.zoom.us/j/97781564938? pwd=RmlxRGtPcU96TTlSSlArTldyOWtEdz09#success In collaboration with the History Detectives GR Reading Series, join the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council via Zoom for a book discussion celebrating Women’s History Month and the 50th anniversary of the nationwide ERA campaign!
Grand River Times
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The History of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel—Part 3 By: Ed Paciencia, GRHS Board Trustee When the co-founders of Amway, Richard DeVos and Jay VanAndel, bought the Pantlind Hotel in the summer of 1978, many people thought the two were about to lose their shirts. Up until this point, Amway had been the largest user of hotel and motel rooms in West Michigan because of its annual conventions, some of which drew more than 12,000 people to the area. For this reason, the two businessmen decided it was time to give Grand Rapids a hotel that was big enough to accommodate their annual convention as well as other future conventions and events. Soon after purchasing the Pantlind, other buildings between the hotel and the river were purchased for a future glass tower which would be part of the hotel complex. At one time Campau Avenue ran behind the Pantlind and ended at the Civic Auditorium. That stretch of road was eliminated to make way for a new building that would house the hotels new front desk and connect the Pantlind to the soon to be built glass tower. The Pantlind closed and began the remodeling process in 1979. This would only be the second time that the hotel had ever closed to the public. The first was back in 1942 when the Army took over and used the hotel to train meteorologists during World War II. After Amway closed the Pantlind, a public sale was held to sell most of the hotel’s old furnishings. Items that were part of the sale included; 11,000 yards of drapes, 6,000 chairs, 12 miles of carpeting, 40 panels of leaded glass, office equipment, brass and crystal chandeliers, TV’s, vacuums, and nearly a half million dollars of kitchen equipment. The Amway’s “Pantlind Lobby” Once the furnishings were emptied out of the hotel, the building was gutted, and eventually more than 4,500 tons of debris was removed. Construction started immediately afterwards and would be done in three phases. Phase one would be the Pantlind remodel, phase two would be the middle section that would house the front desk and the Ambassador Ballroom, and phase three would be the glass tower. The original idea for the glass tower was a 25-story circular tower, part of which would sit in the river, similar to the way the public museums carrousel pavilion overhangs into the river today. These plans however, would eventually be changed. The hotel project was part of a new downtown boom which included; DeVos Hall, The Gerald R. Ford Museum, several office buildings, and the new mirrored Prime Bank Building that was to be built on the “old dime store block”. That block had been torn down to make way for the new Monroe Avenue extension as well as the new Pedestrian Mall on Monroe Center. When DeVos and VanAndel started this project, they said right from the beginning that they wanted to “do it right”. They didn’t want to cut corners or compromise on quality so they hired the best people they could find to do the job. Restoration was done by a prestigious designing and decorating firm from New York, which was also one of the oldest in the country. That firm, Dorothy Draper & Company, still exists today. Continued on page 5 Grand River Times
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Continued from page 4 Materials like carpeting, wallpaper, and furniture were exclusively designed for the Pantlind restoration project. Designers were hopeful that all the furniture could be produced in Grand Rapids by local companies. During construction, the hotel’s 700 rooms were reduced to 395. Owners thought that guests would be more comfortable in bigger rooms. To accomplish this, workers removed several walls and, in some cases, turned two rooms into one. Workers also installed one of the most complete, ultra-modern fire protection systems of any comparable hotel in the country. This, coupled with the use of fire-retardant materials and furnishings used during the renovation, would give hotel guests the best possible protection in the event of a fire. In addition to these and other expenses, a half million dollars was spent taking up a lane of Monroe Avenue to make room for the Canal Street Lounge. Canal was the old name of Monroe Avenue prior to 1912. After nearly two years of construction, the grand opening of phase one was timed with the 1981 opening of the Gerald R. Ford Museum and a new week-long event called “Celebration on the Grand”. Fireworks were held on Monday September 14, and Friday September 18, 1981 at a cost of $10,000, and promised to be the biggest fireworks display that Grand Rapids had ever seen. The event was done by the same firm that did the 1976 Bicentennial display at the nation’s capital. The old Pantlind Hotel officially re-opened as the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel on September 15, 1981 with a staff of more than 300. During the grand opening celebrations, Richard DeVos and Jay VanAndel gave “Glory to God” and dedicated the new hotel to Him and all his people. Gerald R. Ford and his wife Betty attended the grand opening celebration. The dedication and opening of the museum named after him would take place that same week. During the first week of operations, some of the prominent guests were President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy, the President of Mexico, the Prime Minister of Canada, and Bob Hope, who performed the Master of Ceremonies at the dedication of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. One of the first visitors was a 90-year-old man who had worked on the original Pantlind Hotel construction in 1914 installing heating and ventilating ducts. The man said that he was impressed with what Amway had done with the hotel. When he learned about the cost of renovations, he pointed out that back when the Pantlind was first built in 1913, a cup of coffee was five cents. One of the hotel’s newest features was the gold leaf ceiling that was installed in the lobby during the renovations. A crew from New York, who specialize in this kind of work, spent four weeks completing the painstaking task of applying gold leaf, which is thinner than tissue paper and shreds Tower construction took place easily if not handled/applied properly. The technique dates back hundreds of from 1981 through 1983. Photo years and is often referred to as “gilding”. The project cost nearly $70,000 courtesy of the Amway and at one time was said to be the largest gold leaf ceiling installation in the Grand Plaza Hotel country. Another feature of the hotel was a modern kitchen that was equipped with the largest dishwasher and ice making equipment in the state. The dishwasher was capable of cleaning 9,000 pieces per hour. The kitchen also had an oven that was able to roast 1,500 chicken breasts at once. The amount of material that was needed to remodel the old Pantlind was impressive. Some of the materials included; more than an acre of Corian (a material used for the vanity tops and backsplash panels throughout the hotel), more than 7,000 square feet of gold leaf for the ceilings in the Pantlind lobby, 12,000 gallons of paint, 8,000 rolls of wallpaper, and several miles of trim. Grand River Times
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Continued from page 5 All the celebrations and parties did little to slow the progress on the hotels new glass tower. Construction had already begun and continued to move forward. As mentioned earlier, the original tower was supposed to be a 25-story building, part of which would sit in the Grand River. For one reason or another, those plans were changed in favor of a 28-story glass tower. The plans changed once more with the addition of a 29th floor. Richard DeVos said this was done so the village of Ada, Amway Corporations home town, could be seen from the top of the hotel. The tower was completed and opened in 1983. When it A $40 million project, which included was all said and done, the cost of the Pantlind renovation was replacing all the windows on the hotel tower, was recently completed. around $24 million, and when the cost of the parking ramp and glass tower were figured in, the total came to nearly $70 million. This number would be equivalent to something like $220 million in today’s dollars. It was said that inflation during the 1980-81 recession helped to balloon the final cost. Over the next thirty-plus years, the hotel hosted several major events, celebrations, meetings, and conventions. The hotel saw its share of prominent guests like British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara, and several other world leaders. Celebrities that visited the hotel included Bill Cosby, Cher, Jerry Seinfeld, Joe Montana, and Mike Tyson, just to name a few. At one time it was said by one of the owners that “the hotel has never turned a profit”. This was due in part to the fact that the hotel is constantly improving itself by reinvesting the money it does make back into the hotel in the form of improvements and upgrades. One of the biggest upgrades the hotel ever took on was a recently completed, $40 million project, where all the windows on the hotel’s tower were replaced with new energy efficient, floor to ceiling glass. The Amway Grand Plaza has always been considered one of the most elegant places to visit in Grand Rapids – especially for those special occasions. The intention of Rich DeVos and Jay VanAndel from the beginning was to make the Amway Grand Plaza “the best hotel in this part of the world”. This included offering some of the best food and service in town, a tradition that started back in 1902 when J. Boyd Pantlind bought the former Sweets Hotel. CORRECTION The highlighted words below were omitted from Part 2 of the hotel series in the February 2022 newsletter. The corrected version explains that the fire that injured the young lady took place at the Livingston Hotel. Apologies for the error. In May of 1924, the West Side Ladies Literary Club hosted a Card Party Benefit in the hotel’s ballroom. The benefit was for a young lady who was severely burned over much of her body as she was trying to escape the deadly Livingston Hotel fire that took place one month earlier. She managed to escape using a rope from her fourth-floor room. Her cousin, with whom she was staying, died in the fire. Grand River Times
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOIN THE GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY OR GIVE A MEMBERSHIP AS A GIFT The Grand Rapids Historical Society sponsors eight lectures each year. Members of the society enjoy these benefits:
The Grand River Times is the newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society. Published and mailed to members eight times a year, it includes current items of historical interest, details of upcoming lectures, historically relevant activities, and short articles.
20% Discount on all books and other items published by the society.
Please enroll me as a member of the Grand Rapids Historical Society: ____ New ___Renewal ____Gift
_____Lifetime:
$400.00 one-time fee
_____Individual/Family Membership
$30.00 per year
_____Senior Citizen or Student
$20.00 per year
Name: Address: City/State/Zip: Email: Please make check payable to the Grand Rapids Historical Society and mail it with this form to: Grand Rapids Historical Society, c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO SLEUTH Our March Photo Sleuth selection comes from the Robinson Photo Studio Collection from the Grand Rapids Public Library and is dated June 2, 1938. This photo features an interesting guitar class where women outnumber the men. If anyone in this picture looks familiar or if anyone knows about this class please email the Grand Rapids Historical Society at grhs.local@gmail.com Grand River Times
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. postage PAID Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 234
Grand Rapids Historical Society, Inc. c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Steeple Chase Presented by: Caroline Cook, Grand Rapids Running Tours Part One: The East Side of the Grand River— Thursday, March 10, 2022, 7:00 p.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZMkcOGsqTIrGNJrJNcdurR-TOnWUhQGNF4e
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Cover Story: Steeple Chase Letter from our President page 2 Elly Peterson Book Discussion page 3 History of the Amway Grand Plaza—Part 3 page 4 Photo Sleuth page 7
For more information on Historical Society programs, please visit www.grhistory.org Grand River Times
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