Lincoln Place

Lincoln Place. Est. 1913. , Little Park Deeded in 1849 Canton Smith, early pioneer settler who came to Grand Rapids in 1837, deeded this 11/100 of an acre to the City as a gift on August 8, 1849. State Street Park remained merely a green "spot" until 1913, when the sculpture of Abraham Lincoln was erected. At this time, the Common Council renamed the park "Lincoln Place." , Note: (On the same date in 1849, Smith also gave the City another triangular 29/100 acre, by Cherry and State streets, now known as Foster Park)., The Lincoln Bust , Early in 1912, Loraine Pratt Immen submitted an idea for a full length statue of Abraham Lincoln to replace the "old" Civil War monument and fountain in downtown Grand Rapids. Even though her original idea was not endorsed, she wished to provide the community with a lasting memorial to Abraham Lincoln. In November of 1912, she commissioned the artist, Adolph A. Weinman, to sculpt a 50" tall bust of Abraham Lincoln., The bust was cast by Gorham Mfg. Co. Founders at its 37 acre industrial site in Providence, Rhode Island. It was placed on a granite pedestal designed by G.T. Stickle on May 29, 1913, in this park. The following day, members of the Grand Rapids Battalion (veterans) marched to the little park after the Decoration Day parade to conduct a ceremony to dedicate the new statue of Lincoln., Mrs. Immen formally presented the Lincoln statue to the City at the Common Council meeting on June 2, 1913. It was at this meeting when the Council officially renamed the park from State Street Park to Lincoln Place., Mrs. Loraine Pratt Immen (1840-1927) , As a prominent member of Grand Rapids society, she was very active in her church and community. Her many philanthropic deeds also include the sculpture of Longfellow in Fulton Street Park (now Veterans Memorial Park) and the Tiffany stained glass windows in her church, Park Congregational Church., The Calkins Law Office , This small building, the Calkins Law Office, is considered to be the oldest building in the Grand River Valley and one of our oldest connections to early Grand Rapids history. Built about 1836, it has served as a law office, a residence, and a museum piece. It is a fine example of the Classical Revival style, and is patterned after a Greek Temple to express the spirit of democracy of the early American republic., Attorney Charles Philo Calkins (1803-1890) used the building when he first came to Grand Rapids in 1836 until about 1850 for his law practice., Originally located at Justice (now Ottawa) and Monroe streets in downtown Grand Rapids, it was later moved to 1114 lonia Street where it was used as a private residence., In 1969, John and Mary Stiles bought the structure for $650.00 and gave it to the City on June 3, 1970. It was moved to this location on December 13, 1971. After undergoing extensive restoration by the Public Museum of Grand Rapids to make it a historic showcase of early architecture, the building was dedicated July 3, 1976., About the Sculptor , Adolph Alexander Weinman (1870-1952), began studying art at age 15 New York. His skill ranged from sculpting to engraving. His other famous works include the statue of Abraham Lincoln in Hodgenville, Kentucky (Lincoln's birthplace). He is also well known for his design of the "Mercury Head" dime and the "Walking Liberty" half dollar., Interesting side note: Mr. Weinman studied under the world-renowned artist Augustus St. Gaudens (who sculpted the Lincoln statue in Chicago) and for a time also worked with Daniel Chester French (sculptor of the seated Lincoln in the Lincoln A. A. Weinman Memorial in Washington DC.), Eagle Scout Projects , The rank of Eagle Scout is the highest rank a young man can achieve in the Boy Scouts of America. To obtain this honor, a project must be chosen wherein the scout demonstrates his leadership abilities in planning, coordinating, supervising, and completing a task that benefits his community., On February 12, 2009, at a ceremony held at Lincoln Place celebrating the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, two young men from Boy Scout Troop 338, Travis Lepsch and Corey Alberda announced their desire to do something about a special part of their community's past. They noticed that the condition of both the Calkins Law Office and the Lincoln bust were in need of attention and they wanted to adopt these projects to earn their rank as Eagle Scout. Under the guidance of History Remembered, Inc., these two young men made presentations to the City of Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Public Museum for approval of their proposal and to the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority for financial support., After receiving the approval and support needed, the Scouts worked as a team on their individual projects. Travis successfully coordinated the restoration of the Lincoln bust by Castlerock Cleaning Co. and the re-landscaping of Lincoln Place with Phoenix Landscape Designs. Working with Grand River Builders and Knol the Painter, Inc., Corey renovated the Calkins building porch and steps; repaired the wood siding and trim and primed and painted the structure., To finish the repairs on the Calkins Law Office, the staff from the Grand Rapids Public Museum replaced the cedar shake roof. The entire project was completed during the summer of 2010 with a rededication ceremony held on October 9 of that year., The completion of the projects in the year 2010 was fitting because it was also the year that marked the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. In addition, it was the 150th anniversary of the election of Abraham Lincoln as the 16th president of our great nation., "With our restoration projects, we wish to reunite the community to its past. We hope the community will understand importance of their history and that they will want to preserve it for future generations." - Corey and Travis, Partnering with the Community: , Project Sponsors , City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department , History Remembered, Inc. , Grand Rapids Public Museum , Boy Scouts of America-Troop 338, We thank the following for their generous support in helping us to accomplish this project: , Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority , Advantage Health Associates , Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War , -National Organization , -General John A. Logan Camp No. 1, Grand Rapids , Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States , -Michigan Commandery , Meijer, Inc. , First (Park) Congregational Church UCC , Bissell, Inc. , Cooley Law School , Grand Rapids Bar Foundation , Kenneth and Wenda Fore , Castlerock Cleaning - Lincoln Bust , Grand River Builders - Calkins Law Office (exterior) , Phoenix Landscape Design - Landscaping , Glenn's Irrigation Services, Connecting the Past , When the City of Grand Rapids chose to place the Calkins Law Office structure in this little park with another lawyer, Abraham Lincoln, it once again revived our strong connection to the distant past., A number of Grand Rapids men answered the call to arms by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Two of those men included Charles P. Calkins' son, Charles W. and his future son-in law, Joseph C. Herkner.