Much of the traditional Dutch neighborhood long ago become a ghetto area, though the Heritage Hill preservation work started “gentrification” of the nicer homes long before that was a concept. Short story is that the 1960s urban renewal movement threatened to destroy many of the most beautiful and architecturally significant homes from Grand Rapids’ heyday as the “Furniture City,” when upper managers and owners of furniture companies spent the money to have beautiful gabling and woodwork done in their homes and the skilled craftsmen took the time to do in their own homes the type of craftsmanship they were doing for their bosses. A lot of the homes have been saved that had been destined for the wrecking ball in the 1960s.
One good thing about Grand Rapids being conservative and "slow to change" is that the old homes and the commercial buildings downtown remained in tact and have now been renovated. I remember the urban renewal push in the 60's. Glad it didn't happen. The Heritage Hill district is a jewel, if not somewhat crime ridden. I grew up in the north end (northeast, in the neighborhood where the murders took place) in a "newer" neighborhood, which is now about 85 to 90 years old!
Today’s now mostly Hispanic SW side was deep Dutch territory. Lots of family lived there in the 70s. The place quickly rotted away once the older hold outs moved over into Wyoming or died off.