The Belknap neighborhood formed the Hill District Improvement Association in 1962. The Hill District Improvement Association was one of the first active neighborhood associations in Grand Rapids in the post-WWII era. This organization fizzled out as the neighborhood became a popular neighborhood for renters and college students.

Noticing the need for a neighborhood association in the Belknap Lookout neighborhood, ACORN, a national organization, sought to revive the association. But, the neighbors found ACORN to be too controlling, and formed Neighbors of Belknap Lookout on their own in 1978.

The neighborhood association began a relationship with the hospitals that began to develop in the area. Tensions between the two groups began to ease in the 1990’s when the hospitals built Belknap Commons. Belknap Commons became a community and health care center for the people of the neighborhood.

The material for this collection came from the “Neighbors of Belknap Lookout” vertical file.