Belknap Lookout

The neighborhood is bound by Leonard on the North, College Ave. on the east, Crescent Street on the south, and the Grand River on the west.

The word Lookout comes from what is perhaps the neighborhood's most prominent feature, Belknap Hill: a 160 ft high bluff overlooking the downtown of the City of Grand Rapids.

The area which forms the Belknap Lookout Neighborhood was purchased from the government in 1831 by Charles Dexter.

After a disastrous fire in 1873, the citizens of Grand Rapids realized they needed a larger supply of water.

Early residents of the Belknap Lookout neighborhood included the mayor, city attorney, school principal, superintendent, bankers, newspaper editors, physicians, musicians, furniture carvers, and factory foreman.