MIDTOWN GRAND RAPIDS

A WALK AROUND MIDTOWN—This neighborhood developed around the turn of the century. The Valley City Street and Cable Railway made it a good place to build or buy a house because the streetcar line ended around Lyon and Grand. Whole neighborhoods sprung up around streetcar stops in those days for obvious reasons: work transportation, shopping and appointments, and recreational outings.  Use the drop-down menu to read the history of selected mid-town houses.  Check back regularly for more house stories.

Homes in the neighborhood vary from four-square to Craftsman-style bungalows, early 20th-century apartments, and late 19th-century vernacular styles. Check out the house histories and early owner stories in the drop-down menu.

Anyone who has stopped at the popular Martha’s Vineyard at Union and Lyon has visited Midtown (although technically, it is the boundary between Heritage Hill and Midtown). After picking up some essentials and deli items and rubbing shoulders with all your Midtown and Heritage Hill neighbors, you might want to go around the corner on Lyon Street and get a lovely cup of coffee and a pastry at Lyon’s Street Coffee Shop and Bakery.

A walk east through Midtown from Lyon to Fuller (and a bit south to Fulton Street) on a Friday or Saturday will take you to the popular Fulton Street Farmers’ Market, where you will discover a multitude of fresh foods from produce to meats, and every type of artisanal goods. Midtown has a hardware store close by, just across Fuller to the east. Rylee’s staff is always poised to help you find the hardware you need to work on your Midtown bungalow. And for a good book and coffee, make your next stop at Orchard Books and Coffee Shop on Michigan Street, almost to Diamond. Later in the day, you might head to 7 Monks for their happy hour and a smash burger or the Birch Lodge or any one of the other friendly spots on Michigan.

For a leisurely afternoon, enjoy the serenity of the Fulton Street Cemetery (Grand Rapids oldest cemetery), where you will find the gravestones of many of the city’s oldest settlers. Houseman Field is busy with track meets, football games, and graduations in spring and fall. The field boasts a playground currently under consideration for an upgrade through a Midtown Neighborhood fundraising effort.

Midtown Green at Fountain and Eastern is one of the city’s newest renovated parks. It was the historic site of the old Baxter Laundry, and in the fall, it hosts an outdoor concert.

Use the Midtown drop-down menu to read the history of selected mid-town houses. Check back regularly for more house stories.