SANBORN FIRE MAPS
Sanborn Fire Maps show diagrams and construction details of homes, stores, churches, schools and factories as well as burnable contents and watchman hours. It also shows the closest source of water and location of fire barns.
Local maps, annotated by City Assessors and City Engineers, are available locally for 1895, 1913 and 1953.
The one for 1895 is available at the City Archives. These are big, unwieldy and fragile.
The one for 1913 is available at the City Archives. These are big, unwieldy and fragile.
There are multiple copies for 1953 available at the City Archives and the GRPL. These are relatively (15" x 15") smaller and can be photocopied. I have selected portions to complement the sections on schools, downtown and neighborhoods under the History Page
Downtown My neighborhood West Side
Article: Land Intro
From Heading Geography and the City of Grand Rapids
From web site: MyCityofGrandRapids.info