Grand Rapids Lost One of Its Funniest Little Landmarks

As someone who started attending Grand Rapids Community College in 2017 and hadn't spent much time in Downtown GR, it was intimidating. I was taking the Silver Line every day for the first time, and everything was new to me.

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But one thing that was new to everyone was a brand new apartment complex on Fulton Street, a huge building I'd see every morning as I departed the bus. On 20 Fulton, a banner announced that the building would be "coming in 2017", and indeed it did.

As with many new places that open, the banner stayed up on the building to inform passersby that the building was open and taking new residents.

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Then 2018 came around, followed by 2019, and then 2023, yet 20 Fulton's banner announcing the building was "coming in 2017" still adorned the wall.

The funny thing is that it became natural for this outdated banner to stay up year after year. It had overstayed its welcome by such a long while that it had passed the point of being comical and instead just felt natural. I can't speak for others, but a part of me is sad that 20 Fulton finally took the banner down.

The building doesn't look the same without it, but ultimately, nothing changes. I have reached out to 20 Fulton to learn why now is the time for the banner to come down, and I will update if they respond.

What is almost more shocking is seeing what the area looked like before the building was even there, and it was still just a large parking lot.