Heritage Hill
Encyclopedia
Heritage Hill is a neighborhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan
and is one of the largest urban historic districts in the United States
. It is bound by Crescent Street (north), Union Avenue (east), Pleasant Street (south), and Lafayette Avenue (west). Its 1,300 homes date from 1848 and represent over 60 architectural styles. These were the homes of lumber barons, teachers, judges, and legislators who shaped the city’s future.
, Queen Anne
, Shingle Style and over 50 others. There is also a Prairie Style house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
which was built in 1908-09.
The Heritage Hill Association was formed in 1968 to stop a variety of urban renewal
projects that would have demolished 75% of the neighborhood. Its purpose is to provide neighbors a way of collectively building a healthy, historically preserved community where people can live and work in a secure and stable environment. Issues include land use, crime and safety concerns, preservation, parking and traffic, education and other quality of life issues. Heritage Hill was added to the National Register of Historic Places
and the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites in 1971
Prior to its designation as a National Historic District a number of homes were demolished. One notable home that was lost was the Bissell house, built for Melville R. Bissell (inventor of the carpet sweeper
) & his wife Anna. The site is now occupied by Grand Rapids' NBC
television affiliate station, WOOD-TV Channel 8
.
Each year in May, the Heritage Hill Association sponsors a weekend Home Tour in the Historic District that includes admittance to select homes. The Association also publishes a series of self-guided walking tours of the historic district which can be taken at any time, but which does not include admittance to the homes.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles 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 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
and is one of the largest urban historic districts in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is bound by Crescent Street (north), Union Avenue (east), Pleasant Street (south), and Lafayette Avenue (west). Its 1,300 homes date from 1848 and represent over 60 architectural styles. These were the homes of lumber barons, teachers, judges, and legislators who shaped the city’s future.
History
Heritage Hill is adjacent to downtown Grand Rapids and is the city's oldest residential district. It is home to about 4,400 residents and covers an area of about 3500 acres (14.2 km²). A number of architectural styles are included in the historic district including Greek Revival, Italianate, Colonial Revival, ChateauesqueChâteauesque
Châteauesque is one of several terms, including Francis I style, and, in Canada, the Château Style, that refer to a revival architectural style based on the French Renaissance architecture of the monumental French country homes built in the Loire Valley from the late fifteenth century to the...
, Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
, Shingle Style and over 50 others. There is also a Prairie Style house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
which was built in 1908-09.
The Heritage Hill Association was formed in 1968 to stop a variety of urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
projects that would have demolished 75% of the neighborhood. Its purpose is to provide neighbors a way of collectively building a healthy, historically preserved community where people can live and work in a secure and stable environment. Issues include land use, crime and safety concerns, preservation, parking and traffic, education and other quality of life issues. Heritage Hill was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites in 1971
Prior to its designation as a National Historic District a number of homes were demolished. One notable home that was lost was the Bissell house, built for Melville R. Bissell (inventor of the carpet sweeper
Carpet sweeper
A carpet sweeper is a mechanical device for the cleaning of carpets. These were popular before the introduction of the vacuum cleaner and have been largely superseded by them....
) & his wife Anna. The site is now occupied by Grand Rapids' NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television affiliate station, WOOD-TV Channel 8
WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan licensed to Grand Rapids. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter in Middleville near the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter channel...
.
Each year in May, the Heritage Hill Association sponsors a weekend Home Tour in the Historic District that includes admittance to select homes. The Association also publishes a series of self-guided walking tours of the historic district which can be taken at any time, but which does not include admittance to the homes.