Conveniently located one block to the east of the Meyer May House, the Leonard at Logan B&B is the preferred place to stay for many visitors.  Built 5 years after the Meyer May, the Leonard at Logan gives guests yet another taste of the many architectural styles that make Heritage Hill such a unique neighborhood.

A bit about the house-The Meyer May House, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, built in 1908-09, and is located at 450 Madison Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is considered a fine example of Wright’s Prairie School era, and “Michigan’s Prairie masterpiece”.

Commissioned in 1908 by Meyer S. May, a prominent Grand Rapids clothier, and his wife Sophie Amberg, the house stands in contrast to the Victorian and Neoclassical houses typical of the period and neighborhood, the Heritage Hill neighborhood east of downtown Grand Rapids.

Meyer May House is stylistically typical of Wright’s Prairie houses, a two story, T-plan constructed of pale roman brick, with hip roofs and long broad eaves, art glass windows and skylights.   The first floor windows are tucked under the eaves and raised from ground level, providing both privacy and providing light to the staircase and second floor gallery.

Wright carefully sited the house to allow maximum southern exposure for the living room windows and skylights and to create a spacious yard for the perennial gardens. Each terrace and each section of art glass was artfully designed and placed to enhance the interior and to draw nature into the house.   Doors open out to the terraces and gardens with garden walls and planters all incorporated into the design to intermingle the interior and exterior.

Inside, wood grills hide the radiators, iridescent strips of gold art glass were placed in the horizontal grout lines of both brick fireplaces, and a pastel mural of hollyhocks wraps around a dividing wall between the living room and dining room. The mural, painted over during years of alterations, was rediscovered during the restoration and has now been restored. The interior was finished in 1910 by George Niedeken, Wright’s Milwaukee based associate, who was also a talented decorative painter and executed the mural in the dining room.

The Meyer May House was placed on the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites in 1986 and is a contributing building to the Heritage Hill Historic Distric. The district was listed in 1971 on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites, and was protected by the City of Grand Rapids’ historic preservation ordinance in 1973.

Meyer May House opened to the public in 1987.   Tours are offered Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10 to 2 and on Sundays from 1 to 4.  Admission is free.