Museum Directory

Public Museum of Grand Rapids

About Public Museum of Grand Rapids

The Grand Rapids Public Museum, located on the bank of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, is among the oldest history museums in the United States. It was founded in 1854 as the "Grand Rapids Lyceum of Natural History". In 1971, the Public Museum became the first museum to be accredited by the American Association of Museums.

The museum includes a cafe, a gift shop, and a 1928 Spillman carousel, which is situated in a pavilion over the Grand River. A Wurlitzer #157 Band Organ that plays 165 rolls provides the carousel's music. The Museum building also houses the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium.

The current Pearl Street N.W. location, built in 1994, replaced the former Art Deco location on Jefferson Avenue S.E.; that building now serves as a high school and is connected to the GRPM's Community Archives and Research Center (CARC) and the City of Grand Rapids Archives.

The GRPM brings in a variety of traveling exhibitions annually ranging among topics related to science, history and culture.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Founded
1854

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Photos of Public Museum of Grand Rapids

  1. Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids01Grand RapidsJohn Eisenschenk · CC BY 2.0
  2. Norton Indian Mounds02Norton Indian Moundsrossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Furniture Industry03Furniture Industryrossograph · Public domain
  4. Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium04Roger B. Chaffee PlanetariumGpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0
  5. Furniture Industry Historical Marker05Furniture Industry Historical MarkerGpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0
  6. Berlin Wall section, Grand Rapids Public Museum06Berlin Wall section, Grand Rapids Public MuseumJJonahJackalope · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Nearby museums

Make a day of it. 4 more museums are within a mile of Public Museum of Grand Rapids; the closest, Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, is practically next door.