Crews demolish old Michigan Veterans Home in Grand Rapids
Posted By: WOODTV.com on February 18, 2026. For more information, please click here to read the source article
Demolition has begun at the old Michigan Veterans Home in Grand Rapids, marking the latest evolution in a long history for the plot of land across from Riverfront Park.
“This site and this campus — we have been serving veterans for 140 years,” said Ryan Engle, director of development for Michigan Veterans Home. “This is a big step for our campus and a big step for our veterans.”
The two buildings being torn down were built in 1946 and the 1980’s, with hospital-style accommodations for their long-term residents. That model is no longer the standard.
“It is an old hospital feel in there,” Engel described. “Long hallways, dim lights. When a veteran enters long-term care, they shouldn’t feel like they are going into a hospital for the rest of their life. They should feel like, ‘I’m not going home, but it is the next best thing.”
Unlike the infrastructure, the land those buildings sit on is as useful as it was before they were built. The home says in the short term, it will continue to serve the residents of the new home as green space.
“We expect it to be a clean green space by the end of summer 2026,” Engle said.
Long-term plans have not been finalized for the land, aside from the fact that it will continue to serve veterans living at the facility under the organization’s control.
“This is just the next evolution,” Engle said. “Our mission is always, how do we best serve veterans of today and the veterans that we will serve for many, many years to come.”
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