A Look Back at Downtown Grand Rapids It's the Pearl and Monroe intersection in, I think, the early 60s. The picture is from the City of Grand Rapids Archives shared to Facebook by the Grand Rapids Historical Commission. Notice Woolworths on the left and Sears further down the street. It was still the glory of downtown shopping with all the big stores there, not in the suburbs. The big departments stores were fun to shop in, Wurzburg's and Herpolsheimer"s, and so many more, including Houseman's. The scene looks quite different today with only a few similarities. Where Woolworths was is now the glass PNC Bank and Burns & Thoungburge building.