Eastown is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Grand Rapids. The annual Eastown Street Fair is a significant cultural event for the city. Eastown home to such legendary Grand Rapids watering holes Billy's and Mulligan's Pub. This entertainment district is also home to:
- Kava House
- Yesterdog
- Friction Records
- Spirit Dreams
- Bombay Cuisine
- The Pita House (Sami's)
- Smitty's
- Eastown Cafe
- Wolfgang's
- Brandywine
- That Early Bird Cafe
History
Eastown emerged as a streetcar suburb as streetcars became a dominant means of urban transportation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The neighborhood grew around the Grand Rapids Railway Company's Fulton/Wealthy and Lake Drive streetcar lines' transfer point. The East Building, located at 1514 Wealthy SE, was originally a streetcar garage. The Fulton/Wealthy line left downtown along Fulton, turned onto and followed LaGrave to Wealthy, then followed Wealthy all the way to Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids. Privately owned streetcar companies often built attractions at the ends of their routes--the Grand Rapids Railway Company built Ramona Park, a popular amusement park in East Grand Rapids featuring a twin track rollercoaster.
Lake Drive, one of two main thoroughfares which cut through the heart of Eastown, was originally a Native American trail leading from the Grand River to Reeds Lake and eventually to the Thornapple River. European settlers, largely fur traders and Christian missionaries, frequented and widened the path, calling it the Thornapple River Road.
One of the first houses in Eastown was built in the early 1900s at the corner of Lake Drive and Auburn by Frederick Teush, owner of the Grand Rapids Brewing Company.
Previous Business:
Eastown was the original home to The Intersection and The Pop Cafe precursor to The DAAC.
Also, the following:
