THE FURNITURE EXHIBITION BUILDINGS

Text and Photos by Pam VanderPloeg copyright 2019

Huge lumbering fortunes were made in the early days of Grand Rapids.  When the timber was gone, the city leaders promoted furniture manufacturing to put Grand Rapids on the map.  The first furniture workshop belonged to William Haldane on the current site of Michigan Trust Building at the southeast corner of Pearl and Ottawa Streets. The Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876 brought the world’s attention to the intricate craftsmanship of the early Grand Rapids furniture makers.  In 1878, the enterprising furniture makers created the first  “furniture mart” in Grand Rapids eventually held twice a year in January and July.  Furniture was exhibited in the late 1800’s in hotel lobbies and mezzanines, lofts, basements, vacant stores and even in the Owashtonong Club Reeds Lake. 

Ohio furniture salesman Philip Klingman rented space on two floors in the Blodgett Building on Ottawa and Louis (now gone) to display his samples. When that building was full, Klingman convinced Dudley Waters and other members of the Waters family to build the largest furniture exhibition building in the world, the Waters Building.  That was followed by other exhibition buildings including the Furniture Temple on Lyon, the Manufacturers Building on Division, the Interstate Building on Ionia, and the Keeler Building on Division.  The city earned the title of Furniture Capitol of the World.  One journalist covering the semi-annual furniture marts referred to Grand Rapids as the Paris of the furniture world.