Finney Avenue School
1886 - Park Congregational Church began a mission on Grandville Avenue in 1886.Baxter
1888 - A brick structure was built and named the Smith Memorial Church in memory of Rev. J. Morgan Smith. The brick structure able to accommodate 500 persons was dedicated on 27 May 1888 along with a parsonage nearby Northwest corner of Wealthy Street and Finney Avenue. Baxter's History. 305 Wealthy ST SW
1912 - (Church moves to a new building just built at 631 Hall St SW).
1912 - Plans and specifications read for new building (to replace Grandville Avenue School). During the year the deal for the Smith Memorial church was completed and plans prepared for remodeling.
1912 - from the Grand Rapids Herald, 20 August 1912, p. 3 "will be the school on the site of the old Finney street Memorial Congregational church. The building has been completely remodeled, and one of the features will be a three-room kindergarten. Only the lower grades will be taught at this building"
(It will be surprising to many of you to realize there was quite a residential area here at one time with a viable shopping district on Grandville Avenue. Only a small part still remained when I was a child and today it is mostly old vacant industrial).
As the Ellsworth's Addition was drawn before the standard of North being up it is necessary to look at ii upside down. It was surveyed by Coffinberry in 1861 for Henry Ellsworth of CT who died in Tippecanoe Co, Ind. Street name changes: Ellsworth to Cherry 1873, Spring to Commerce in 1898, Almy vacated, Summit to Ellsworth in 1885 then renamed Grandville in 1928, Catherine to Ney (no official record but very early), Water to Waterloo in 1873 and then to Market in 1899.
1913 Sanborn - the first hint to me of this school even existing was on this map although there were still about 10% of the homes left standing when I was in high school. Ruth Booker, a schoolmate, lived on Finney. The last time I looked there were about three houses left.
1917 - During the year, Mr. Toogood, night fireman at the Central High school, and Mr. McDonald, janitor at Finney school met with fatal accidents.
1921 - Old 1st Ward, lots 18-19 block 20 of Ellsworth's Addition. It goes on to describe the school as one-story with 4 classrooms, 59' x76', brick construction, steam heat, gravity system, poor ventilation. Addition made
1937 - assessor's records showing this plat drawing
and the corresponding photograph taken from the south east
This view is from the southwest
This view is from the north east
The assessor's records were very skimpy. It was described as a story-and-a-half building. Apparently there were very few structural changes made to covert the church into a school and after it was a school it was converted back into a church, True Light Baptist..
1944 - sold to True Light Baptist Church
1953 Sanborn Fire Map page 160 shows this at still a school but gives no date of construction. It still shows a viable residential neighborhood which no longer exists. The lot addresses are 301, 305 and 311 Wealthy St SW as well as 349 and 359 Finney Ave SW.
Now a bus garage
From article School History
From Heading History and the City of GrandRapids
From web site: MyCityofGrandRapids.info