Proposed Brikyaat historic district aims to draw investors, new residents

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Years of work lie ahead, but organizers in Grand Rapids' Midtown Neighborhood hope to secure a special designation and preserve part of the neighborhood known as The Brikyaat. The goal is to protect the working-class homes from future demolition, preserve the architectural history of the area, and provide for improvements to the Fulton Street Farmers Market.

In the late 1800s, Dutch immigrants who worked in the nearby brickyard (Brikyaat), now Houseman Field, named their residential neighborhood The Brikyaat. Its boundaries are Fountain (north), Fuller (east), Fulton (south), and Batavia (west).

"We're looking for a possible historic preservation district on the western end, between Diamond Avenue and Batavia," says Christine Helms-Maletic, Brikyaat project director. "It's becoming a trend across the country to look at the value of working class homes as an important part of our heritage."

In addition, the project proposes an expansion of the farmers market west to Stormzand Street, if residents agree. That expansion would mean the demolition of a limited number of houses. But Helms-Maletic says that will take place only with neighborhood support. She also says any action is likely several years off.

Right now, the plan is to improve the existing farmers market. Besides new paving, new water and electricity hook ups for the stalls, and permanent canopies, the neighborhood association must develop a business plan for the market's long-term management and raise $100,000 for predevelopment planning.

"What we're doing is a marketing tool to get more retail and more shoppers on foot," Helms-Maletic says. "Property values will go up and it will make the neighborhood a destination."

Source: Christine Helms-Maletic, Midtown Neighborhood Association

Rendering courtesy of Midtown Neighborhood Association

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].