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Rood Building

Coordinates: 42°58′00″N 85°40′18″W / 42.9666°N 85.6717°W / 42.9666; -85.6717
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Rood Building
Rood Building in 2014
Location139 Pearl Street, NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan[2][a]
Coordinates42°58′00″N 85°40′18″W / 42.9666°N 85.6717°W / 42.9666; -85.6717
Built1873
ArchitectWilliam G. Robinson
Architectural styleHigh Victorian Gothic[3]
NRHP reference No.88000142[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 4, 1988

The Rood Building is a commercial building in Grand Rapids, Michigan, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1873 for Charles Conant Rood, after whom the building is named.

History

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Rood Building circa 1904

The Rood Building was built in 1873 for attorney and investor Charles Conant Rood. It replaced a three-story building at the site, also owned by Rood, which had burned down in October 1872. It was designed by Grand Rapids architect William G. Robinson.[4] Over the years, the building's tenants have generally consisted of offices or residences and at least one restaurant.[5]

The building underwent renovations in the 1980s,[6] which included the installation of a wooden replica cornice[7] and an addition that filled in the angle of the building's original "L" shape.[8] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 4, 1988.[2]

Architecture

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The Rood Building is a four-story timber frame structure clad in brick.[2] It is the only surviving High Victorian Gothic commercial building in Grand Rapids and one of only a few High Victorian buildings in the city.[3]

The building originally had an L-shaped layout; the head of the "L" formed the narrow facade on Pearl Street and the foot of the "L" had a couple storefronts on a former pedestrian walkway.[8] An addition built in the 1980s filled in the angle of the "L" and houses an elevator and stairwell.[8][7]

The Pearl Street facade is divided into three bays; the central bay is three windows wide and the two narrower bays on each side have one window each.[8] The facade is topped by a large cornice bearing the year of construction, 1873. The cornice was originally made of iron, but it deteriorated and the last part was removed by the late 1970s; it was replaced with a replica made of painted wood.[7]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The property is listed as "Address Restricted" in the NRIS database

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Staff. "Rood Building". State Historic Preservation Office. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Reclofs 1988, Section 8, p. 3.
  4. ^ Reclofs 1988, Section 8, p. 1.
  5. ^ Reclofs 1988, Section 8, p. 2.
  6. ^ Reclofs 1988, p. 29.
  7. ^ a b c Reclofs 1988, Section 7, p. 2.
  8. ^ a b c d Reclofs 1988, Section 7, p. 1.

Bibliography

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