East Bridge Street School
NE 1/4 Sec 30 Grand Rapids Twp
Alternate Names: 1884-1911 E Bridge School 1909-1929 Michigan Street School
May 20, 1884
William G. Beckwith and Maria M. Beckwith, his wife,
To
the Board of Education
Liber 156, Page 606
Consideration, $1300
Description
Commencing in the center of Bridge St. at the NE corner of the University Lot
of Coit and Curtis Partition Plat,
thence running West in the center of said street 78 feet 7 inches,
thence South parallel with the E. line o the University Lot, 231 feet or halfway
to Bronson Street
thence East parallel with the N. line of said University Lot, 78 feet 7 inches
to the E. line of said Lot,
thence North on the E line of said lot, 231 feet to the place of Beginning
Being the N ½ of the E 1/6 of said University Lot.
Subject, nevertheless, to the right of the public in that part use as Bridge
Street.CE.
May 20, 1884
J. Warren Ellis and Esther M. Ellis, his wife
To
The Board of Education
Liber 156 page 607
Consideration, $1900
Description
Commencing in the center of Bridge St at a point
78 7/1 feet W. of the N.E. corner of the University Lot of Coit & Curtis
Partition Plat running
thence W. I the center of Bridge Street 130 feet 8 inches
thence S. parallel with the E. line of said Lot, 231 feet, or half-way to
Bronson Street,
thence E. parallel with the first line 130 feet 8 inches,
thence N. 231 feet to the place of beginning;
Subject, nevertheless, to the right of the highway known as Bridge Street.CE
Coit and Curtis Partition Plat 1855
Dan'l Coit, Benjamin Curtis. Bridge Street Road renamed Michigan in 1909,
Brunson renamed Crescent in 1885. The University Lot was 5 acres.
1884 - lot purchased on East Bridge Street near College Avenue for $3,200, part of the University lot of Coit & Curtis, NW corner of lot 37. It was 208' along Bridge by 231' deep. It was proposed to build a six room two-story brick building for the relief of Coit and Fountain schools. Value $3,300. (Lot 863 on Steinmann's plat #33. College Avenue is further East and is shown on Steinmann's plat #34. Steinmann's plat # 34
(There were still houses to the East along College Avenue and to the West along Allen Park Place when I was a kid)
1885 - On this site a new six-room white brick building was completed the past year. It has a seating capacity of 300, and is heated by six hot air furnaces, together with a grate in each room; water and sewerage connections have been made, and grounds graded and sidewalks built. Not shown on the Collar and Griner map.
1886 - a six-room brick building exists heated by hot-air furnaces together with a grate in each room, water and sewer connection. Value $20,000.
1890 - 4th Ward, it contains ten rooms, four of which have been added during the year and has sittings for 500 pupils.
1892 - well ventilated and heated by steam. The halls are broad.
1895 - closets (toilets) are located in the basement.
1895 Sanborn Fire Map:
1900 - Fifth Ward Lot 200' on Bridge x 194' deep
1905 - Plumbing condemned
1912 - New plumbing installed.
1913 Sanborn map shows the school with the assessors penciled note identifying it as Calvary Undenominational Church although the auditorium addition to the East is not drawn. (Knowing them, I worked there, they would not have bothered with a tax-free addition. It is interesting to note that the only fire escape is shown off the back of the building. I had always thought it was out the side to the west. .)
From Citz 1926
1920's- from a book published by the Grand Rapids Press
showing the interior of this school.
1929 - closed
This photo from Gathering at the River shows the Calvary Church addition onto the north and east sides of the school. At the extreme right it shows the fire escape that I remembered having to go under.
I (BVM) attended this church as a child. These are my from my childhood memories:
I remember crossing the foyer. There was a dark cold room to the right that was always empty and the door was always locked. Maybe it was the Board room. I remember the Bible Club room. We had fun there. I remember the nursery. It was full of bawling babies.
I don't remember much about the back of the church. I rarely went there. So I am not confident I have the back hall or basemen entrance in the right place.
I remember having to go back and do a turn-about to reach the swinging doors to the basement. Then going down a dark stairway to a dark and very scary bathroom. The floor was a dark red brick. The toilet stalls were wooden. I only went with my mother.
I remember having to go back and turning right down a long barren brick hallway, then down a short flight of steep steps ending in a cul-de-sac. Then we had to make an abrupt turn to the right and go out a heavy door. Then down a short, steep flight of cement stairs and we had to duck under a fire escape. I only went down this hallway with my dad.
There was beautiful narrow, dark red wainscoting throughout. The upper walls were plaster, painted industrial green.
We always sat in the same pew in the balcony. I counted hats.
The two big upstairs rooms were used for the older kids. That's where we sang songs. Then we were dismissed to one of the small back rooms. There was no central hallway back there. You had to walk through a room to reach another room. The boys would pile up chairs to block the doorways. I was always getting lost as I'd try to go around. Every wall was narrow red oak.
2005 - it is a newer medical building where Allen Place used to be. There's a parking lot where the school/church used to be but unfortunately the aerial maps won't come up. It looks like it might be business condominiums.
From article School History
From Heading History and the City of GrandRapids
From web site: MyCityofGrandRapids.info