Historical Sites of Grand Rapids
|
|
Pantlind
Hotel - In
downtown Grand Rapids there is a very fancy hotel called the Amway Grand Plaza.
However, it used to be called the
Pantlind
Hotel a long time ago. The hotel was designed in 1913 by Warren and Westmore of
New York City. Construction on the Pantlind Hotel was completed in 1916. It was
built in the English Adams style of architecture. Warren and Westmore also
designed Grand Central Station and the Biltmore Hotel in New York City. By 1925,
the Pantlind was considered one of the "finest" hotels in America and had the
world’s largest gold-leafed ceiling in the lobby.
On August 2, 1978, the Pantlind Hotel was purchased by the Amway Corporation in Ada, Michigan. The hotel was then renovated to look like it did in the 1920’s. Today, the hotel also has restaurants, shops, and meeting rooms for conferences. There are also large chandeliers in the lobby hanging from the gold-leafed ceiling. Many of the meeting rooms are named after famous people from the city’s history such as the Campau Room, the Robinson Room, and the President Ford Room. www.amwaygrand.com/general/history.html |