Wayne McClure:
Designer, Engineer, Bildor.

Wayne McClure designed and built homes across the West Michigan area from the late 1950s to 1960s. As a member of the elite Bildor Association, his name was associated with a trusted and respected group of contractors, carpenters, and homebuyer professionals from across the nation.

McClure worked with clients to build homes custom to his customers’ preferences, and incorporating the surrounding landscape, resulting in some unique and alluring properties.

designer

Wayne worked with clients to deliver homes customized to their style, all with a mid-century appropriate flair.

engineer

Using new techniques in architecture after WWII, Wayne provided solutions to common household design flaws by using unconventional thinking.

bildor

Wayne earned the title of Bildor by joining an elite association of architects, designers, carpernters, retailors, and other homebuyer and builder professionals.

Homes Recognized as Wayne McClure builds across Michigan

Ladd Brothers Northgate Home

This 1500 square foot property is an early home built by McClure for Ladd Brothers Construction in 1956, on the far north side of Grand Rapids in Plainfield Township. The Grand Rapids area was rapidly expanding in the mid 1950s when this home was built, and the demand for homebuilders was high. The home on Northgate Ave. features expansive celestory windows that look out onto the front lawn. Unfortunately the home has been fully modernized…

Meadowlawn Homes #3

The Meadowlawn homes, often referred to as the Fuller Ct. homes, are a series of three Wayne McClure built houses built on a small court in the Meadowlawn neighborhood of Kentwood off Fuller Ave. Meadowlawn #3 sits to the righthand side of the court and is very noticeable from the adjacent intersection. This home is constructed of wood and stone in a Danish modern, “box” style. One very distinguishing feature of this home is it…

Meadowlawn Homes #2

The Meadowlawn homes, often referred to as the Fuller Ct. homes, are a series of three Wayne McClure built houses built on a small court in the Meadowlawn neighborhood of Kentwood off Fuller Ave. Meadowlawn #2 sits to the immediate right side of Meadowlawn #1 and is currently rentable as an Airbnb property. This home is on a sloped elevation that walks out onto the backyard from the lower level, and features a gabled roof…

Meadowlawn Homes #1

The Meadowlawn homes, often referred to as the Fuller Ct. homes, are a series of three Wayne McClure built houses built on a small court in the Meadowlawn neighborhood of Kentwood off Fuller Ave. Starting from the left is Meadowlawn #1 an asymmetrical gabled home built from wood and stone sitting atop a hill on a wedge-shaped lot that opens onto a large, wooded backyard. This home retains many original features including wood paneling, rafia…

“Symphony of Design” – Parade of Homes #6

This home designed by McClure was constructed for Grand Rapids’ inaugural Parade of Homes on Parade Dr. NW. in the north side of town. The home was dubbed the “Symphony of Design” on a street of other mid-century homes developed by the likes of Charles O’Bryon & E. John Knapp. McClure’s home makes up the #6 stop on the tour, at the crown of the cul-de-sac at the end of Parade Drive. Much of this feature is based…

Riverside Gardens Home

This home, built on Comstock Blvd in Riverside Gardens, a suburb of Grand Rapids, is one of the first examples of a Built by McClure home to appear in West Michigan, dated to 1957. This home has been tastefully updated over the years and still retains many features indicative of a McClure. The Riverside Gardens home was paid tribute by artist Michael Nÿkamp in this line art rendition:

Wayne’s Lewison Ave. Studio & Home

This Grand Rapids home served as both McClure’s residence and his office for homebuyers looking to build in the West Michigan area. The home still retains some mid century details throughout including some carpets, wood paneling and doors, and a period bathroom.

Could be a McClure?

This 1965 home is based on the design of #1 Meadowlawn, AKA: The Fuller Court Gathercole home. The home itself sits on a large property with a barn off of the busy Eastern Avenue in Gaines Township, a suburb of Grand Rapids. This home is just down the road from Meadowlawn #1, considered a crown jewel of McClure’s body of work. However, we have not been able to verify if it is a McClure home…

Gone But Not Forgotten – McClure Home Razed by a Tornado

This McClure home fell victim to a massive outbreak of storms that worked through Grand Rapids on April 3 of 1965, commonly referred to as the Palm Sunday Storms. The property was devastated by a tornado and demolished shortly after. While only the foundation of this home survived, a home by architect Chuck Carter was built on what remained in an homage to the original. By adding some additional space to the home’s footprint, the…