CenterCity Moving Guide

By 1827, the US government had provided log homes for the settlement of Odawa (Ottawa) Indians on the west bank of the Grand River. On the east bank, French businessman Louis Campau (formerly Campeau) was busy trading clothing, household goods, and liquor with the Odawa for furs and hides. In 1831, he bought all of the land that is now downtown's CenterCity for a mere $90.

Grand Rapids incorporated as a village in 1838, and just twelve years later, it became a city—a city that, with its booming population of 2,686, was rapidly changing.

Today CenterCity—bounded by Michigan Street on the north, the Grand River on the west, Fulton on the south, and Division on the east—is changing again. Just a little over two decades ago, the Forslund Building on Pearl Street put a new face on CenterCity when it was converted to condominiums. The trend continued after that. Condo and apartment communities are transforming downtown's formerly bleak office park atmosphere into a hip, vibrant community.

A Housing Boom is Underway
Thousands of new residential units have been added in downtown Grand Rapids in the last 5 to 6 years. From luxury high rises on the riverfront like Plaza Towers, to repurposed buildings like the Select Bank Building and Brickway Condominiums, there are plenty of options in Center City for those looking for an urban hangout.

Spirit, Mind, Body, and Recreation
CenterCity has historic St. Mark's Episcopal church, the contemporary Catholic Information Center, and the Christian Science Reading Room within its boundaries. Roman Catholic, Lutheran, United Methodist, Christian Reformed, and other churches are close by, with Temple Emmanuel and Ahavas Israel Synagogues just a couple of miles to the east.

Public and private schools are located in neighborhoods surrounding CenterCity, and are reached easily by bus or car. For college students living downtown, a variety of colleges are just a short jaunt away, including Cooley Law School, Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, Ferris State University, Kendall College of Art and Design, Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College, and Aquinas College.

With "Medical Mile," as the growing Michigan Street medical campus is called, a few blocks northeast and St. Mary's Mercy Medical Center a few blocks southeast, medical resources are readily accessible for downtown residents.

One of the main attractions downtown is Rosa Parks Circle, designed by artist Maya Lin. A 13,000-sq.-ft. oval amphitheater, Ecliptic, is the venue for outdoor summer concerts and converts to an ice skating rink in the winter. The park features a reflecting pool and a vapor pool; these two pools and the ice rink symbolize the three states of water: liquid, vapor, and solid.

A popular green space for walkers and cyclists is Ah-Nab-Awen Park. Ah-Nab-Awen, which means "Resting Place," features grassy mounds that symbolize traditional Indian burial mounds; they rise alongside the west riverbank where the log homes of the Odawa settlement once stood. Many other pieces of art and interpretive markers are exhibited within the 6.5-acre park.

This quiet green space, where Indian tradition and contemporary art meet on the lawn of a presidential museum, is a poignant reminder that Grand Rapids is, indeed, a city of change.

Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights Reserved

For more information about CenterCity visit the:
- Visiting Guide
- Investing Guide

 
Directions to Center City

From the North:
Take US-131 South toward Grand Rapids and merge onto I-196 East via Exit 86A on the left toward Lansing. Take the Ottawa Ave exit, Exit 77C, toward Downtown. Turn slight right onto Ottawa Ave Nw. Arrive in Center City.

From the East:
Take I-96 West toward Grand Rapids and keep left to take I-196 West toward Downtown Grand Rapids/Holland. Take the Ottawa Ave exit, Exit 77C, toward Downtown. The ramp becomes Ottawa Ave Nw. Arrive in Center City.

From the South:
Take US-131 North toward Grand Rapids and take the I-131-BR exit, Exit 84B, toward Downtown. Turn right onto Oakes St. Sw and turn left onto Division Ave S/US-131 BR. Arrive in Center City.

From the West:
Take I-196 East toward Grand Rapids and take the Ottawa Ave exit, Exit 77C, toward Downtown. Turn slight right onto Ottawa Ave Nw. Arrive in Center City.

Take I-96 East toward Grand Rapids and merge onto US-131 South via Exit 31A toward Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo. Merge onto I-196 East via Exit 86A on the left toward Lansing. Take the Ottawa Ave exit, Exit 77C, toward Downtown. Turn slight right onto Ottawa Ave Nw. Arrive in Center City.