The Peck Building

The most famous murder trial in all of western Michigan had its roots laid down in the old Peck Building. Now, the victims of this meticulously planned murder walk between the walls of the condos sitting along Division Avenue. 

In 1916, the murder of John and Hannah Peck shook the nation. The Pecks, successful and wealthy drug store owners in Grand Rapids, had just welcomed a new member to their family. Their young daughter Clara fell smitten with a young dentist from New York named Dr. Arthur Waite. 

She had unknowingly let the Devil into her and her parent’s life. Waite would go on to murder both parents in shockingly devious and cunning ways. The subsequent trial became one of the most talked about in the nation and is still studied by law students today. 

Now, the Peck building, a 10-bedroom Queen-Anne-style mansion, is haunted by the spirits of the Pecks. Their footsteps are heard late into the night, and an apparition of John Peck so often appears in the room where his office used to be. 

Find out more on a tour of Grand Rapids with US Ghost Adventures!

The Peck Family and The Peck Building

The Peck Family was among the wealthiest of Grand Rapids’ early citizens. Their lineage in the city goes back to a time before Grand Rapids was even incorporated, and their family tree is closely intertwined with the Rathbones, another prominent Grand Rapids family. 

By 1887, the Peck’s had amassed a large enough fortune to build the 6,500 square foot, 10 Bedroom, Queen Anne style building seen on Division Street today.  The family made their money in the pharmaceutical business and operated their drug store here upon moving in. 

In 1967, the Peck Drugstore was sold to Revco, another pharmacy chain, which eventually moved out in 1988. The Building was renovated in 1999 and has been rented out as condos and as a multi-family home since. 

Its most recent listing in 2021 placed it at just under seven hundred thousand dollars. A real steal! If you can put up with the spectral tenants, of course. 

The Peck Family Murders

The murder of John and Hanna Peck was one of the most talked about cases in the nation in the late 1910s. The trial seemingly had it all: deceit, adultery, poison, and eventual justice. It is still a commonly studied case by law students due to the cunningness of the killer, Arhurt Waite. 

It all began when Waite married Clara Peck, a young heiress to the Peck family fortune. Waite was the poor son of a grocer from Grand Rapids and a recently graduated dental student, although his credentials have been contested. His less-than-pure intentions with the young daughter of John and Hannah became all too clear as their relationship continued. 

Shortly after the marriage, Waite went to New York with some Peck family money. He believed he was short-changed by the Pecks, although he received a rather large dowry from John and Hannah. 

It was here in New York that his plot to gain all of the family fortune began. He and his mistress,  New York cabaret sing Margaret Horton, wanted the Pecks gone, and they devised exactly how to do it.