Grand Rapids Public Museum
The Grand Rapids Public Museum, located on the bank of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, is among the oldest history museums in the United States. It was founded in 1854 as the "Grand Rapids Lyceum of Natural History". The museum includes a cafe, a gift shop, and a 1928 Spillman carousel, which is situated in a pavilion over the Grand River. A Wurlitzer #157 Band Organ that plays 165 rolls provides the carousel's music. The Museum building also houses the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium. The current Pearl Street N.W. location, built in  1994, replaced the former Art Deco location on Jefferson Avenue S.E.; that building now serves as a High School and is connected to the GRPM Collections and the City of Grand Rapids Archives. The GRPM brings in a variety of traveling exhibitions annually ranging among topics related to science, history and culture. Voigt House Victorian Museum. The museum also maintains the Voigt House Victorian Home, located at 115 College Ave. SE. The Voigt House (built in 1896 & last furnished in 1907) was the residence of the Carl Voigt family for over 76 years. Donated to the Grand Rapids Foundation upon  the death of the youngest child Ralph Voigt in 1971, the property came into the eventual possession of the museum. The Voigt house is a time capsule to the late Victorian era, having never been remodeled by the family over the decades.