This Is The Story Behind Grand Rapids’ Oldest Surviving Building

If you ever find yourself walking around downtown Grand Rapids you should take a closer look at some of the older buildings you go past.

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I was walking to my car after grabbing dinner at Tupelo Honey when I stopped for the light to change and noticed the impressive architecture of the building on the corner of Ottawa Ave and Pearl Street.

I should have used my phone to take a picture but thankfully Google Maps can show what I noticed.

At the top of the building was the numbers 1874, that's not the buildings address, but instead the year that it was built.

I started to wonder, 'what is the oldest building in Grand Rapids?'.

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After doing some digging I was able to find the oldest building in Grand Rapids that's still standing.

The Oldest Building In Grand Rapids

There is a good chance that you've driven by Grand Rapids' oldest building and didn't even realize it.

The Calkins Law Office is the oldest building in Grand Rapids.

Built in 1836, it was originally a law office for pioneer attorney Charles Philo Calkins.

The small building was moved multiple times as the city grew.

In 1971, it was saved from being torn down and moved to its current location at 201 State Street SE.

Since then the building has been restored and is now a historic landmark managed by the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

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I think it's so cool that this historic building was saved and the next time I'm heading down Jefferson Street I'm going to take a quick left onto State street so I can see this piece of Grand Rapids history.