The Rood Building was built in 1873 for attorney and investor Charles Conant Rood. It replaced a three-story building at the site, also owned by Rood, which had burned down in October 1872. It was designed by Grand Rapids architect William G. Robinson.[4] Over the years, the building's tenants have generally consisted of offices or residences and at least one restaurant.[5]
The building underwent renovations in the 1980s,[6] which included the installation of a wooden replica cornice[7] and an addition that filled in the angle of the building's original "L" shape.[8] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 4, 1988.[2]
Architecture
The Rood Building is a four-story timber frame structure clad in brick.[2] It is the only surviving High Victorian Gothic commercial building in Grand Rapids and one of only a few High Victorian buildings in the city.[3]
The building originally had an L-shaped layout; the head of the "L" formed the narrow facade on Pearl Street and the foot of the "L" had a couple storefronts on a former pedestrian walkway.[8] An addition built in the 1980s filled in the angle of the "L" and houses an elevator and stairwell.[8][7]
The Pearl Street facade is divided into three bays; the central bay is three windows wide and the two narrower bays on each side have one window each.[8] The facade is topped by a large cornice bearing the year of construction, 1873. The cornice was originally made of iron, but it deteriorated and the last part was removed by the late 1970s; it was replaced with a replica made of painted wood.[7]
^ abcStaff. "Rood Building". State Historic Preservation Office. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
