Founded in 1872 by Frederick W. Wurzburg, Wurburg’s was a popular department store in the Grand Rapids area from about the 1920s to the 1960s. There was even one in Wyoming’s Southland Shopping Center, now the 28th West Place (formerly Wyoming Village Mall). In 1951, Wurzburg’s took over the Herpolsheimer’s location at 101 – 103 Monroe NW, where the Grand Rapids Art Museum is now. Christmas was a special time at the store with thousands lining the streets around Wurzburg’s just to see the store’s animated Christmas windows. And like Macy’s in New York, Wurzburg’s also hosted the annual Santa Claus parade in downtown Grand Rapids.
The image is part of the Grand Rapids Public Museum Collections. To see more of the collection, visit www.grpmcollections.org.
