This Little White Building Is Grand Rapids’ Oldest Building

I frequently pass this little white law office next to a school that has a confusing name. Attempting to learn about this school has led me to two intriguing discoveries:

1. The Public Museum High School is actually a high school and not a museum, it is just funded by the Grand Rapids Public Museum. This identity crisis has confounded me for many years.
2.  This tiny white law office and its subsequent little park is Grand Rapids' oldest building, and the park features a seemingly random statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Calkins Law Office

The Calkins Law Office, located on the corner of Washington and State Streets, is Grand Rapids' oldest frame building in the Grand River Valley. The building, with its Greek-inspired pillars, was built in 1836.

Per its namesake, the building served as a Law Office for Charles Philo Calkins before eventually being turned into a museum, a place of residence, and now in its state of appreciation.

Lincoln Park

Not to be mistaken for the band, the park that the Calkins Law Office is located on is also a historical part of Grand Rapids. Originally called State Street Park, the park was renamed Lincoln Park after Grand Rapids was gifted a statue of Abraham Lincoln by Loraine Pratt Immen.

The office was not originally located in Lincoln Park but was moved there in 1971, and was then restored in 1976 celebrating the US' 200th birthday.

You can view the outside and learn more about the building on location.