Art and Crafts was very much alive in Grand Rapids at the turn of the last century. One of the ways Grand Rapids exerted influence on the Arts and Crafts Movement was in relation to furniture. Known as Furniture City since the late 1800’s, Grand Rapids hosted an annual furniture exposition and was home to several acclaimed Arts and Crafts manufacturers. In fact, according to Larry Koon, Gustav Stickley got his start after a buyer from a furniture company saw his furniture on display at one of these expositions.

Two brothers of Gustav Stickley, Albert and John ran Stickley Brothers Furniture Company here in Grand Rapids. The company was founded in 1892 and also had a branch in New York. Some of the company's furniture designs rivaled that of Gustav. John later left Stickley Brothers and joined yet another brother, Leopold, where they formed L & JG Furniture, which is still in business today producing mission furniture, including Gustav’s designs.

Another memorable furniture designer/manufacturer was Charles P. Limbert, whose designs are also still being produced by L&JG Stickley. Limbert was in business in Grand Rapids from 1902 to 1906, when he moved to Holland, Michigan. His “Dutch Arts and Crafts” furniture is more delicate than a lot of mission furniture and features graceful curves and cut-outs. His cut-outs are reminiscent of Charles Rennie Macintosh designs from Glasgow, Scotland.

We headed west to visit Grand Rapids in search of what the City had to offer for Arts and Crafts enthusiasts. What we found was:

• Heritage Hills Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places as of 1971. It is one of the largest historic districts in Michigan. Most of the houses were built between the 1840s through the 1920s. The district has several bungalows, American Foursquares and Arts and Crafts homes. Interestingly Albert Stickley's home at 60 Prospect NE is a Georgian Revival, rather than Arts and Crafts. Map of Heritage Hill Historic District.

• Also in the Heritage Hills Historic District, but standing on its own is the Mayer May House. This is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed prairie style home from 1906 that is owned and has been painstakingly restored by Steelcase. A tour of this home was the highlight of our trip. Check out the Niedecken mural that was uncovered and restored. Across the street from the Mayer May House is another prairie style home, which was designed by Marion Mahoney, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, for Mayer May's in-laws, the Ambergs.

• The Grand Rapids Public Museum, Furniture City Exhibit. We had high hopes of finding tons of information about Stickley, Limbert, and discovering new things about the Arts and Crafts Movement that were unknown to us. Unfortunately, the exhibit was a disappointment. Very little mention was made of these manufacturers or Grand Rapids’ contribution to the Arts and Crafts Movement. Frankly, this is an opportunity lost to showcase a wonderful legacy. There is, at least, a fine little Limbert chair on display.

• Heartwood Antiques at 956 Cherry Street, SE, is a little shop owned by Don Marek, a local Arts and Crafts expert. (Pic 64). Don has published two highly informative books on the Grand Rapids Arts and Crafts contribution. We saw some very nice pieces during our visit there, especially a Stickley Brothers copper jardinière, much like one on display at the DIA. Don’s books are Arts and Crafts Furniture Design, the Grand Rapids Contribution and Grand Rapids Art Metalwork, 1902-1918.

• We had hoped to see the Klingman's Furniture Store, which up until recently was a large store with an impressive contemporary Stickley showroom. Klingman's has been in business since 1896 with a long Arts and Crafts connection. While I was researching Limbert furniture, I came across a reprint of an old Limbert catalog. The introduction talked about Limbert's early years selling furniture with Philip Klingman – the founder of Klingman's furniture store. But the old store was moved, the business was sold to the Israel family in 2008, and Klingman's is no longer offering Stickley furniture. So that interesting old-time connection is broken.

Grand Rapids today is a fun place to visit with some very interesting things for the Arts and Crafts enthusiast to see. For more information, check out these sources: