The Ladies' Literary Club also known as Wednesday Literary Club[2] was built as a social club building located at 61 Sheldon Street SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[1] As of 2019, the building is being renovated into a social event space known as The Lit.[3]
Ladies' Literary Club | |
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| Location | 61 Sheldon St., SE., Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°57′45″N 85°40′01″W / 42.96250°N 85.66694°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1887 |
| Architect | William G. Robinson |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000400[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 26, 1971 |
History
editIn 1869, a group of Grand Rapids women organized a small history class. In 1870, this grew into the Ladies' Literary Association, which was formally organized as an association that year. The Association was influential in opening a public library in the city. In 1882, the group was re-incorporated at the Ladies' Literary Club to promote literary and scientific subjects. The club grew, and in 1887 they decided to construct their own building. The Club purchased a lot and hired local architect William G. Robinson to design a clubhouse. Ground was broken in 1887, and construction was completed by December of that year. Major additions and renovations were completed in 1931.[4]
Major additions and renovations were completed in 1931.[4] In 2005, the club disbanded due to declining membership. In 2006, the remaining members transferred ownership of the building to Calvin College, which made $1 million worth of improvements to the building. The college used the building as a music, theater and entertainment venue. However, in 2014, they decided to sell the building.[5] In 2018, a group of investors purchased the building with the intention of renovating it to become The Lit event space.[3]
Over the years, the club has hosted speeches by Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.[4]
Description
editThe Ladies' Literary Club is a two-story brick structure with a tall single-story wing attached to the rear housing an auditorium. Bluestone trim is used around the doors and windows, and it has a slate roof. Although the building is substantially brick rather than stone, the design exhibits the massive Richardsonian Romanesque style. The building has French plane and stained glass windows.[4] This includes a Tiffany glass window appraised at $225,000.[5]
Notable people
edit- Loraine Immen, president, Ladies' Literary Club (1890)[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Carmel Library | Carmel Clay Historical Society".
- ^ a b Justin Dawes (July 4, 2019). "Historic downtown building becoming event space". Grand Rapids Business Journal.
- ^ a b c d Constance Henslee (May 11, 1971), National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Ladies' Literary Club, File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Michigan, 1964 - 2013, National Park Service
- ^ a b Brian McVicar (November 12, 2014). "Why Calvin College is selling historic Ladies Literary Club of Grand Rapids". MLive.
- ^ Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). "IMMEN, Mrs. Loraine". A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life. Charles Wells Moulton. pp. 409–10.409-10&rft.pub=Charles Wells Moulton&rft.date=1893&rft.aulast=Willard&rft.aufirst=Frances Elizabeth&rft.au=Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice&rft_id=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Woman_of_the_Century/Loraine_Immen&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Ladies' Literary Club" class="Z3988">
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Further reading
edit- History of the Ladies' Literary Club of Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Hogue Stinchcomb (1910)
