Public Museum of Grand Rapids
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The Public Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 1854 as the "Grand Rapids Lyceum of Natural History" in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is among the oldest history museums in the United States. The museum includes a cafe, a gift shop, and a 1928 Spillman Carousel, which is situated in a pavilion over the Grand River. 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 community archive.
[edit] Permanent exhibits
- Anishinabek: The People of This Place
- The story of the Native American culture of West Michigan
- The Furniture City
- An exploration of Grand Rapids' colorful heritage of the furniture manufacturing capital of the world.
- The Streets of Old Grand Rapids
- A 1904 nearly lifesize recreation of and allegorical Grand Rapids business district of a century ago.
- Habitats
- A look at both the eco-systems of Western Michigan along with the history of the museum as an interpreter of the natural world.
- Collecting A through Z
- This alphabet-linked exhibit provides a means to bring out artifacts from many of the museum's collections e.g. "D is for Dolls"