It was an iconic fixture on 28 Street for almost forty years and a big part of the City of Wyoming’s history. Studio 28 opened on Christmas Day in 1965 with a single 1,000-seat theatre ultimately expanded to become one of the largest movie theaters in the area, and the nation, featuring 20 screens by 1988. Studio 28 closed on Nov. 23, 2008, just a month short of its 41st birthday. The building was demolished in 2014.
It is just one of the many places included in the new book “The Miracle Mile,” which follows the growth of 28th Street from Beals Road to becoming a major thoroughfare for the Greater Grand Rapids area. The book, released by Wyoming Historical Commission, is now available at the Wyoming History Room located at the KDL Wyoming Branch, 3350 Michael Ave. SW. The History Room’s normal hours are 9:30 a.m. – noon Tuesdays and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of the month. The book also will be available during Metro Cruise Aug. 26 and 27.
From being a dirt road to being a major thoroughfare, 28th Street is a roadway of history in the Greater Grand Rapids, especially for the City of Wyoming.
So much so, that the Wyoming Historical Commission has spent the last year compiling a new book “From Beals Road to 28th Street, a History of The Miracle Mile.” The book is being released this Saturday with copies available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wyoming Historical Room, located inside the KDL Wyoming Branch, 3350 Michael Ave. SW.
“We like to think of ‘The Miracle Mile’ as a scrapbook that not only outlines the commercial history from South Division Avenue to Byron Center Avenue but will likely jog many found memories for our readers,” said David Britten, who headed up the project. “It should be a valuable addition to anyone’s local history collection.”
The project is the result of conversations held during Metro Cruise last August as visitors stoped at the Historical Commission’s booth in the Rogers Plaza area, Britten said.
Studio 28 was the first megaplex and one of the largest movie theaters in the world. It was located along 28th Street.
The result is 122-page, 8-1/2by-11 inch book containing more than 200 photos and dozens of advertisements and articles from the earliest years.
In “The Miracle Mile” book, there are three sections detailing the growth of the commercial corridor from 1946 through 1973. A section titled “The Early Years” outlines the changes over time in the road, itself, the Rogers School, and the first few businesses in what was then a rural, farming section of Wyoming Township.
During that time period, 28th Street has been called many names, Beals Road, the Sunset Strip of Grand Rapids and of course, The Miracle Mile.
For around 90 years, 28th Street has served as the southern gateway helping residents and travelers move east and west, serving as the southern border of the Beltline, a bypass route around the city. At one time it was the second busiest highway in the State of Michigan and home to so many hamburger joints, it was said you could have a different one every day and not eat at the same place for three months.
In 1957, US-131 was completed with direct access on and off of 28th Street. It immediately caused change along the roadway.
In the fifties, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in the West Michigan area along the stretch of 28th Street in Wyoming. Rogers Plaza would open in 1961 followed by Southland (now 28th West Plaza). Rogers Plaza was the first major modern shopping center in Kent County and caused a tremendous change in metropolitan area shopping.
And just what Rogers Plaza did for shopping, Studio 28 did for movie attendance as Studio 28 was the first megaplex and one of the largest movie theaters in the world.
It was in the Rogers Plaza parking lot during the 2021 Metro Cruise that the idea for “The Miracle Mile” book came about. Rogers Plaza was the first shopping center in Kent County and it is located on 28th Street. (WKACC)
More stores sprouted up on 28th Street, which was widened to five lanes, and that was about the time the nickname “The Miracle Mile” was attached to the street. According to “A City of Wyoming – A History,” also produced by the Wyoming Historical Commission, Fred Eardley’s Trading Post at Burlingame Avenue anchored The Miracle Mile on the west, and Ben Duthler built a supermarket at Clyde Park at the east end anchor. Other new stores were Stone’s Shoes, Rogers Department Store (which would become the largest department store in the county), Feighner Drugs, TerMeer Hardware, Suburban 5 and 10 Store, Meijer, Eberhards food stores, Holiday Lanes, and several gasoline stations.
The book also includes a short biography of Abram J. Longstreet, a forgotten pioneer of Rogers Heights community. In fact, Fruit Basket/Flowerland is located on the original Longstreet farm and Clyde Park is actually named after the Clydesdales that were once located on the farm. The Wyoming High School football field is named after Longstreet.
Books are $20 and beside Saturday, will be available during Metro Cruise, Aug. 26 and 27, and during the History Room’s normal hours which are 9:30 a.m. – noon Tuesdays and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of the month. For more information, visit the Wyoming Michigan History Room’s Facebook page.
