Ladies' Literary Club

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
Location61 Sheldon St., SE., Grand Rapids, Michigan
Coordinates42°57′45″N 85°40′01″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1887 (1887)
ArchitectW.G. Robinson
Architectural styleRomanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.71000400[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 26, 1971

History

In 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 architect W.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

The 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]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.