Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant, Grand Rapids

The Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant, located on Monroe Avenue NW in Grand Rapids, is a historically significant municipal water treatment facility. Built in 1910, it was likely Michigan's first water filtration plant and crucial for public health. In 1945, it became the first U.S. site to introduce public water fluoridation. Recognized for its significance, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Today, the building has been repurposed as an event venue known as Clearwater Place.

The Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant includes two buildings and two wash tanks, but only the main building is historically significant. This two-story Romanesque Revival structure has a red brick exterior on a concrete base, a hipped green-tiled roof, and square corner towers with arched entrances. A prominent central "head house" tower rises at the rear, while the brick wash tanks have conical green-tiled roofs and small rectangular windows.

By the late 19th century, Grand Rapids saw the need for a city-wide water system, starting with a reservoir in 1874. To ensure cleaner water, a filtration plant was funded in 1910 and designed by engineers Rudolph Hering and George Warren Fuller, with construction by Gentz Brothers. Operational by 1912, it greatly improved public health. Expansions followed in 1924 and 1935. In 1944, the city made history by approving water fluoridation, which began in early 1945.

The Monroe Avenue filtration plant became a backup facility in 1961 and ceased operations in 1992. Designated a Michigan Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1988, it was renovated by DeVries Development into Clearwater Place, a mixed-use space, in 2008. Another renovation in 2017 transformed it into an events center while preserving its historical significance.

Today, the former Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant stands as a testament to Grand Rapids’ commitment to innovation in public health and urban development, blending historical preservation with modern functionality.