Sanford House at John Street for Men – Grand Opening
The Green family cut the ribbon – opening Sanford House at John Street for Men
It was an evening for friends, family and business colleagues to gather at Sanford House Addiction Treatment Centers’ newest facility. Located at 221 John Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan, the restored mansion will serve as a residential and non-residential addiction treatment center for men.
The Green family hosted a party to officially open the facility, and restoration Project Manager, Alec Green welcomed theย crowd with a few words on the history of the iconic home and a nod to home town Grand Rapids.
Alec Green with David Green
Alec Green’s Comments…
Imagine what it was like on this hilltop overlooking the Grand River Valley in 1890. Dr. Charles Hazeltine and his wife Anna ย chose this site for its eve- present breezes and ย rolling green views down to the Grand River. On this hill, they could see the Hazeltine-Perkins Drug Company headquarters at Pearl and Ottawa. And St. Markโs Church where Dr. Hazeltine served as trustee.
So they set out to build their dream house, punctuated with architectural features they admired on trips to Europe. By 1891, the house was complete and shortly thereafter Charles was appointed by President Cleveland to serve as the Consul to Milan, Italy. By 1895 the Hazeltines returned to Grand Rapids and took their position along the prominent families of the day. In 1907 their daughter Fanny married a German Count and the reception was held here, in the third floor ballroom.
After the Hazeltine’s…
Charles and Anna died, the house became ย the Elmcrest Home for Girls. Up to 31 girls lived here, most of them attending Davenport School or working in downtown offices. Inย 1972, the house came to be ย Bridges for Runaway Children, a program still run today by Arbor Circle. Inย ย 1980, the Riley family purchased 221 John and established Gunari House, makers, purveyors and restorers of fine wooden instruments. The Riley family lived on the second floor and had an office and show room on the first floor. The basement was set up as a work shop. The Rileyโs are here tonight. Raise your hands; thank you for entrusting your home to us.
Sanford House Addictionย Treatment Centers
So, here we are today, ready to launch a new addiction treatment center – Sanford House at John Street for Men. This is a natural extension of our successful womenโs treatment center at 540 Cherry. Our Cherry Street location opened just over 2 and a half years ago.
2017 was a long winter. My father David and I acted as general contractor and assembled an incredible team of Grand Rapids, family owned subcontractors to rewire, replumb, paint, restore windows and art glassโyou name it. Every inch of the Hazeltine Mansion was touched.
Restoring buildings and restoring lives. That is the Sanford House Addiction Treatment Centersโ story today.
It is also a story about how we feel about our home town of Grand Rapids. ย My parent instilled in me the idea that when you are from Grand Rapids you can do anything. ย In Grand Rapids we dream big. We back it up by hard work and tenacity. In Grand Rapids we exceed everyoneโs expectations.
And we hope that we did that here today.
The finished product – Sanford House at John Street for Men