The Home at 427 East Fulton Street
Lumberman T. Stewart White built an exceptional home at 385 E. Fulton in 1907. White and partner, Thomas Friant, owned a lumber booming company and Friant’s home on Cherry currently belongs to John and Susan Logie. The White family had five sons, including a popular author as well as an artist who depicted the family and their servants as Arthurian characters on murals in the home’s library. White died in 1915 and his widow, Mary, remained in the home until 1927. Mary died at her winter residence in Santa Barbara in 1929 and soon after, planning began to convert the mansion into a showcase for the community’s furniture industry.
On January 1, 1938, the Grand Rapids Furniture Museum opened in the former White mansion, by then 427 E. Fulton. The museum was a popular attraction until it closed in 1959. That same year, Davenport bought the building from the city to serve as a residence for out-of-town students. Since then, the structure has been called Warren Hall, in honor of M.E. Davenport’s only son, Warren, who died serving in World War II.
The 1912 Sanborn Insurance Map shows the T. Stewart White home, second from the left, circled.