When it comes to family names in Kent County, Rogers is as recognizable as it gets. From Rogers Plaza – Michigan’s first indoor shopping mall – to Rogers Lane Elementary, the Rogers family name is a staple to the Wyoming community.
Along with that name comes the ‘Rogers Mansion,’ a home which has stood in Wyoming since 1836 and is now up for sale.
According to Bill Branz of the Wyoming Historical Commission, Justice Rogers came to Grand Rapids from Vermont in 1835. When he arrived, the city was still in its infancy with the only developments in the area being a Native American settlement and the Campeau Trading Post.
The 2,600 square-foot house originally sat on 160 acres of land granted to Justice Rogers from President Martin Van Buren. That location, 1144 Rogers Plaza Drive, would be the house’s home until 1960 when the house moved to make way for Rogers Plaza. When the house was moved to its current home at 1141 Colrain Ave. SW, it received a facelift to its foundation, electrical and plumping work.
Although a 4 bedroom 2 bath house doesn’t seem like a “mansion” now, consider the house is 179 years old! What’s even more impressive is how much of the original house still exists after all these years later. The original skeleton key to the front door is still used and the windows, latch handles, and turned railings are organic to the home.
The home is the oldest in Wyoming and believed to be the oldest in Kent County.
Melanie Rogers, the great-great-granddaughter to Justice Rogers, currently resides in the ‘Rogers Mansion.’ Both of her children have moved out of Michigan and Melanie wants to be able to spend more time with them in Chicago and California.
Selling the house will be an emotional experience, but now another family will be able to enjoy the beauty and history of a home approaching its second century!
