The Mayor, the Maestro, and the Mansion: Martin Sweet, Ottokar Malek, and the Sweet House with Carol Dodge

Calling all Grand Rapids History buffs! Get an inside look at the Sweet Mansion and the legacy of Martin Sweet and Ottokar Malek.

This event is free to attend, however, it helps us in planning to receive your RSVP. 

About the Book:

The Mayor, the Maestro, and the Mansion is a welcome addition to publications chronicling the history of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and an inside look at the mansion at 254 Fulton Street East in Heritage Hill.

Martin L. Sweet served as mayor of the city in 1860. He was an entrepreneur who owned banks, flour mills, furniture factories, railroads, and plank roads. In 1869 he built a hotel at the intersection of Pearl Street and Monroe Avenue where the Amway Grand Plaza stands today. The Musician, Ottokar Malek, operated a school of music in the mansion from 1914 to 1919. He was a concert pianist and founded the Grand Rapids Civic Orchestra, known today as the Grand Rapids Symphony. The mansion, built by Martin Sweet in the 1860s, was the home of the Women's City Club for 90 years from 1928 to 2018. The club hosted celebrities, entertainers, and politicians at its social and educational events and filled the house with art and antiques.

In 2005 the Sweet House Foundation assumed responsibility for the preservation of this historic treasure. It is open by appointment for tours and events such as reunions, weddings, and business meetings.This book closes the gap in the history of Grand Rapids which has largely omitted the legacy of Martin Sweet and Ottokar Malek. It establishes the importance of preserving the venerable Sweet House.

About the Author:

Carol Ruth Dodge was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, graduating from Central High and Grand Rapids Junior College. Since 1985 she has been an active member of the Women's City Club, serving on the board of directors for several years and as secretary, treasurer, and then president in 2005-2007.

When she became a board member in 1992, the president, who did not know of Carol's interest in Grand Rapids history, delighted Carol by asking her to chair the History Committee. She began gathering information about the WCC and she worked diligently to learn all she could about Martin Sweet, Ottokar Malek, and the Sweet House. This research became a major project. For 15 years she wrote and annually presented a history program for the membership. Carol accumulated mountains of information from books, newspapers, magazines, websites, and Sweet and Malek descendants. Since there are no books about Sweet, Malek, or the Sweet House, she decided she wanted to publish her findings so that people would know why the Sweet House was such an important part of the history of Grand Rapids.

Carol was a member of the committee formed to establish the Sweet House Foundation, serving as secretary and treasurer of the foundation, and has been a member of the Finance Circle since the foundation was established in 2005. She continues as the historian for the Women's City Club and the Sweet House Foundation.

At the age of 88, she still enjoys conducting tours of the Sweet House, speaking to organizations, and writing articles. She lives in Middleville and is blessed with three grandsons and seven great-grandchildren.