Alger Heights was built primarily in the 1940’s with solid modest wooden frame and brick houses. It has remained on the edge of the “bad neighborhood” since the 1960’s (even though it’s not that bad). People at the time probably thought the neighborhood would slowly go down hill.—It didn’t. It didn’t even go down hill in the 1980’s and 90’s as Grand Rapids prospered beyond belief and huge new tempting houses sprouted in sterile developments on the outskirts of the city. In spite of this (or because of it), Alger Heights has avoided slipping into the conservative paranoia or snooty liberal gentrified attitudes common with many neighborhoods in America. In fact, it continues to testify to the durable middle class in the U.S. (something lacking in Indonesia), where teachers, engineers, and nurses live along side small business owners, electricians and construction workers. These folks come from many different backgrounds (though the neighborhood remains disproportionately Dutch American :). 
Park across the street
New Library
2346 Blaine S.E. (notice the New Mexico state flag on the side)
Hardware store
In the middle of Alger Heights, across from a park and a school, down the street from the hardware store, CRC church, library and bus stop, sits a house that has been a small part of every different age of my life. I visited my Grand parents there from my birth until I was 14. Within a year of my Grandma Weeda’s death my sister moved in, and I baby sat my niece there while I went to Calvin in the late eighties. After my sister moved to Lansing in early 1988, I passed by it often when I drove a donation truck for the Mission Thrift Store in 1989-90 when my parents rented it to a GR policeman. Starting in the early 90’s my parents moved back into it and started fixing it up by finishing the basement, back porch, kitchen and yard. After my wedding in 1993, the wedding party crashed the back yard while we waited to go to the reception. Since then, almost every summer including this one, my family resides in the basement and attic of this special house and enjoys life this neighborhood very dear to me… 2346 Blaine SE in Alger Heights, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Tonight, after the kids decorate their bikes for the 4th of July parade tomorrow, we will all walk down to “Sundae’s in the Heights” for ice cream.
