Auburn Hills

Auburn Hills is a small, historically significant residential subdivision on the northeast side of Grand Rapids. Located southeast of the intersection of Fuller Avenue NE and Knapp Street NE, the neighborhood encompasses approximately 20 acres and contains 51 homes on streets including Palmer, Dale, Travis, Drexel, and Auburn. The subdivision is bounded roughly by Plum Hollow Lane to the north, Auburn Avenue to the east, Sweet Street to the south, and Fuller Avenue to the west.

The neighborhood's identity is defined by its origin story: it was conceived and built in the early 1960s by four Black professionals as a direct response to discriminatory housing practices that limited where African American residents could purchase homes in Grand Rapids. That history earned the Auburn Hills Historic District a place on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2026.

Today, Auburn Hills is a quiet residential pocket with well-maintained midcentury ranch and split-level homes on modest lots. The streets are quiet, the lots are well kept, and the community reflects the diversity that was its founders' original vision. Provin Trails Park, a popular hiking and nature area, is located nearby to the northeast.

Provin Trails Park is the most notable recreation area near Auburn Hills, located northeast of the subdivision. Provin Trails offers a network of hiking trails through wooded terrain with scenic overlooks, making it a popular destination for walking, trail running, and nature observation year-round.

The broader Grand Rapids parks system provides additional recreation options within a short drive, including the network of city parks throughout the northeast side. Fuller Park, to the south along Fuller Avenue, offers additional green space.

The neighborhood's location on the northeast fringe of the city also provides relatively easy access to the rural and semi-rural areas of Plainfield Township for additional outdoor recreation.

Auburn Hills stands as one of the most significant civil rights landmarks in Grand Rapids' built environment. In 1962, four Black professionals, Dr. Julius Franks Jr. (President of the West Michigan Dental Society and the first Black All-American at the University of Michigan), J.E. Adams (a teacher, administrator, and school principal), Joseph W. Lee (a social worker and twice president of the Grand Rapids Urban League), and Samuel Triplett (a teacher and the first African American to teach in Grand Rapids Public Schools at South High), formed the Auburn Hills Land Development Corporation.

The four partners purchased a 20-acre parcel from the City of Grand Rapids for $60,000. Their plan was straightforward: build a residential subdivision where anyone could buy a home regardless of race, at a time when redlining and discriminatory lending practices severely restricted where Black residents could live in the city.

The project faced organized opposition. Within weeks of the announcement, a coalition called the White Citizens Committee mobilized against the development. On December 18, 1963, the City Commission moved its meeting to Creston High School's auditorium to accommodate an estimated 500 protesters. The struggle spanned two contentious years before the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce intervened, charging the City with stalling and demanding the development be allowed to proceed.

The first of 51 homes was begun by Joseph W. Lee at 1706 Auburn NE in 1964 and completed in 1965. The homes were marketed and sold without regard to race. On January 30, 2026, the Auburn Hills Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognized as one of the city's only known neighborhoods developed by African Americans in direct response to racist housing policies.