ALDEN BALL DOW, FAIA (1904-1983)
The son of Herbert and Grace Dow, he graduated from Midland High School. After visiting Japan, where he stayed in Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel, in 1923 he attended the University of Michigan to study engineering in preparation to enter his father's company, Dow Chemical. But after three years, Dow left to study architecture at Columbia University and graduated in 1931.
Dow married Vada Bennett in 1931. Bennett, a daughter of Earl Bennett (an employee at Dow), and Dow had three children: Michael Lloyd Dow, Mary Lloyd Dow, and Barbara Alden Dow. After a year and a half of working with the architectural firm of Frantz and Spence in nearby Saginaw MI, Alden and Vada studied with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin in Spring Green WI in the summer in 1933. Dow opened his own design firm in 1934 and received the Diplome de Grand Prix at the 1937 Paris International Exposition for his own home as well as the John Whitman house. Featured in LIFE Magazine in 1937.
Dow was named architect laureate of Michigan in 1983, shortly before his death. His home and studio are available for public tours. Dow's architecture company continued as Dow Howell Gilmore Associates for several years then closed. More information at Dow Home and Studio.
1932 - The Harry and Margaret Grace Dow Towsley House, 1000 Berkshire Road, Ann Arbor MI. Margaret was Dow's sister. Features included clerestory windows, a copper roof, and raised planter boxes designed to blend house and landscape. According to Katharine Mattingly Meyer's 1971 AIA Architecture Guide to Detroit, it is the first residence in the country designed with an attached garage facing the street. Additions in 1934, 1938, and 1960. Sold to Geraldine and Walter Mayer.
1933 - The Lynn Heatley House, Midland MI. Unbuilt. This was Dow's first planned use of Unit Blocks for a complete house.
1934 - The Earl and Mae Stein House, 209 Revere Street, Midland MI. Commissioned in 1933. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to Richard and Nancy Barker.
1934 - The F. W. Lewis House, 2913 Manor Drive, Midland MI. Commissioned in 1933. Altered. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to Jeff and Holly Karbowski. Sold in 2006 to Rodd and Jennifer Lanou.
1934 - The Alden Dow House, aka the Shanty House, 315 Post Street, Midland MI. Located on the Dow family property. Torn down in 1941 when his new house was built.
1934 - The Sheldon B. and Mary Heath House, 1505 West St. Andrews Road, Midland MI. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to Michael and Christine Owen. Sold in 2016 to Lance and Jamie Rynearson. Video.
1934 - The Helen Hanson House, 1605 West St. Andrews Road, Midland MI. Helen was Alden Dow's sister. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to Mary Beth Scheid. Color photo by E. Thor Carlson.
1934 - The John A. and Minnie Whitman House, 2407 Manor Drive, Midland MI. 3532 sf. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to Ray and Sharon Leenhouts.
1934 - The Joseph and Aimee Cavanagh House, 415 West Main Street, Midland MI. Built by Spence Brothers. Carport added in the 1960s. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to Raymond Boyer. Sold in 2002 to Linda Farynk.
1934 - The Ethyl-Dow House, Dow Road and Fourth Avenue, overlooking the Cape Fear River at Kure Beach NC. The photo above is the Manager's house. Plant Manager G. F. (Brick) Dressel lived there until December 1935. Monroe and Mary Shigley moved in during February 1936 and left around 1938.
There was a second house, occupied by Maintenance Superintendent Dan McDonald, closer to the massive factory for which these houses were designed. The plant operated from 1934 to 1946 under a partnership between the Dow Chemical Company and the Ethyl Corporation to extract bromine from ocean water. Its primary use was in the synthesizing of "Ethyl" a "no-knock" compound used in fuel. At its height, the plant employed 250 workers. It was the area's largest commercial development since shipyard construction in Wilmington during WWI.
Both houses were destroyed. Photos courtesy of the Alden B. Dow Archives.
The property occupied some 90 acres and by local standards, the plant was enormous; some of its buildings were four stories tall. Plant operation in 1934. It took roughly 7.5 tons of ocean water to produce 1 pound of bromine. At peak production, during wartime, the plant could process 30 million gallons of seawater a day, yielding 16,000 pounds of ethylene dibromide. Demand for Ethyl plummeted in peacetime, and the companies decided to consolidate operations at a facility in TX. The Kure Beach plant shut down in 1946 and parts were scavenged by local businesses. The last traces of the oceanside intake channels were obliterated by Hurricanes Fran and Floyd in the 1990s. — Adapted from Ben Freeman, Wilmington Star-News.
1935 - The Howard and Katherine Ball House, 1411 West St. Andrews Road, Midland MI. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Sold to David Emmel and Georgia Abbott.
1935 - The Oscar Diehl House, 919 East Park Drive, Midland MI. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Renovated (color photos) by Dow Howell Gilmore Associates Inc. Sold to Michael and Debra Hayes.
1935 - The Charles and Helen MacCallum House, 1227 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to Lois Ann Reed.
1935 - The Margaret Mitts House, Saginaw MI. Two schemes, both unbuilt.
1935 - The Robert Goodall Residence, 405 East Pine Street, Midland MI. Goodall was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's former draftsman who Dow met at Taliesin. In the early 1930s, he and Dow created a rhomboid block with a square face in 16 different sizes which became known as Dow's Unit Block building system. Sold to the Shaw Weber Trust. Sold in 2014 to Bradley Meyer.
1935 - The John Panter House, 1002 West Park Drive, Midland MI. Sold to Edward and Nancy Carney.
1935 - The Earl W. Bennett House, 714 West Main Street, Midland MI. Sold to Edward and Cheryle Saunders.
1936 - The James T. and Elsa Pardee House, 812 West Main Street, Midland MI. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation.
1936 - The Earl W. Bennett Cottage, Benmark Club, Roscommon MI. Status unknown.
1936 - The Mary E. Dow House, 403 South Jefferson Avenue, Saginaw MI. Client was Dow's aunt. Eventually sold to the First Congregational Church, which constructed a connecting wing in 1957 designed by Frantz and Spence.
1936 - The George and Ann Greene House, 1115 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sold to Maureen Vansteenhouse.
1936 - The Charles Bachman House, 929 Roxburgh Avenue, East Lansing MI. Bachman was Michigan State's football coach from 1933 to 1946. Sold to Norman Pollack. Sold in 2022 to Kristine Bowman and Gabriel Wrobel. Top photo by E. Thor Carlson.
1936 - The William E. and Helen Koerting House, 2625 Greenleaf Boulevard, Elkhart IN. Owned by the Charles and Cheryl Owens Family Trust.
1936 - The Donald L. Conner House, aka the Dow Chemical House 101, 402 Lingle Lane, Midland MI. Re-addressed from 2705 Manor Drive. Listed in 1989 on the National Register of Historic Places. Sold to Andrew Kowalski. Sold to Marc and Tamara McCann.
1936 - The S. Gordon and Marie Saunders House, 1055 Orchard Ridge Road, Bloomfield Hills MI. Appeared in LIFE Magazine, 3/15/1948. Has been destroyed; new house built on the site in 2001.
1936 - The Millard Pryor House, 888 Pemberton Road, Grosse Pointe Park MI. Sold to John Korachis.
1937 - The Paul Rood House, 1615 Dover Road, Kalamazoo MI. Sold to Jose and Margarita Campos.
1937 - The A. C. Barclay Residence, 522 North Saginaw Road, Midland MI. Sold to Harry Saro. Sold in 2002 to Sally Ann Prior. Sold in 2011 to Artichoke Heart LLC.
1937 - The W. F. Brown Residence, 1325 East Broadway Street, Mt. Pleasant MI. Sold to the Margaret and Terry Erb Trust. Photos by E. Thor Carlson.
1938 - The A. W. Hodgkiss House, 201 Bay View Avenue, Petoskey MI. Sold in 1990 to Paul and Margaret Vanwagoner.
1938 - The John Best House, aka House for $3000, 3820 Salem Street, Midland MI. Sold to Darryl Crabb.
1938 - The Parents and Children's Schoolhouse, 1505 Crane Court, Midland MI. A primary school, with limited living quarters. Later converted to a house for owner Kenneth Bryce. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Sold in 1996 to Robert Lasovage.
1938 - The House with a Future. Unbuilt.
1938 - The Kenneth Wildes Residence, 1513 Crane Court, Midland MI. Sold to Robert and Susan Sutton. Sold in 2006 to Jack and Susan Lewis. Bottom photo by Tyler Merkel.
1938 - The Charles Bachman Residence, 1125 East Haley Street, Midland MI. Sold in 2000 Diane Bonham.
1938 - The K. T. Keller Houses, designed for a hill overlooking the St. Clair River in southeastern MI. Unbuilt. Two designs for the CEO of the Chrysler Corporation 1935-1950. The first design, Garden House, remained unbuilt due to Mrs. Keller's dislike of the distance between her bedroom and the dining room. Over the next 18 months Dow designed several plans for the smaller Hill House which also was remained unbuilt. Above drawing is the garden house.
1939 - The Anderson and Dorothy Arbury House, 745 South Meridian Road, Midland MI. Dorothy Arbury was Dow's sister. Sold in 1997 to Kriss and Carol Arbury. For sale in 2024.
1939 - The Clark Wells House, 96 Handy Road, Grosse Pointe Farms MI. Sold to James Moody.
1939 - The Calvin and Alta K. Campbell House, 1210 West Park Drive, Midland MI. Built by Fred C. Trier. On March 31, 1949, the Campbells accompanied Willard Dow, president of Dow Chemical and brother of Alden, and his wife, Martha, to M.I.T. to hear Winston Churchill speak. The company plane went down in icy conditions over Ontario and Calvin Campbell was the sole survivor. In the resulting reorganization of Dow, he was named Secretary of the Board. Campbell remarried. In 1997, the second Mrs. Campbell sold to the house to Steve Rossborough. Sold to David and Amy Rosenberger. Sold in 2001 to James and Amy Rosborough. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Sold in 2009 to Primacy Closing Corporation. Sold in 2010 to Kevin and Julie Stenger.
1939 - The Leland Ira Doan and Ruth Alden Dow Doan Beach House, 3900 Greene Drive, Frankfort MI. Ruth Doan was Alden Dow's sister.
1939 - The Charles Morrison Residence, 806 West St. Andrews Road, Midland MI. Sold to the Candace B. Currie Trust.
1939 - The Millard Fleming Residence, 2220 East Jackson Boulevard, Elkhart IN. Sold to Mei Tak and Kin Fai Yip.
1940 - The LeRoy Smith House, 9503 Frank Street, Algonac MI. Sold in 2010 to the Thomas Eckert Trust. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
1940 - The Robert Dreisbach Residence, 301 Helen Street, Midland MI. Sold to Gregory Poulos.
1940 - The Robbie Robinson House, 741 Middlesex Road, Grosse Pointe Park MI. Sold in 1952 to F. S. Smith. Sold in 1968. Sold to James Fair, owner as of 2022.
1940 - The Ethocel House. Commissioned in 1937. Unbuilt.
1940 - The Leo Grant Residence, 1001 West St. Andrews, Midland MI. Sold to Julie Arbury.
1940 - The Phillip T. Rich Residence, 1400 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. Sold to Ken and Tammi Sherrell. Sold in 2005 to Jimmey and Jennifer Sequin. Sold in 2008 to Mary C. Currie. Sold in 2012 to William Kirkman and Lisa Bommarito. Sold in 2019 to Samantha Ralya.
1941 - The Alden Dow House II House and Studio, 315 Post Street, Midland MI. This date marked completion of the fourth section of the house. Commissioned in 1934. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. 20,000sf. Open to the public for tours. Top photo by Dow, Howell, and Gilmore; bottom by Peter Forguson.
1941 - The Louis P. Butenschoen House, 1212 Helen Street, Midland MI. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Sold in 2012 to Kevin Prior.
1941 - The Charles and Mary K. Penhaligen House, 1203 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Sold in 2002 to Charles E. and Sharon A. Skinner. Sold in 2017 Bradley and Nancy Walch.
1941 - The Robert C. Reinke House, 33 Lexington Court, Midland MI. Originally a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with an open living and dining room space. In 1947, Dow designed an addition which included a garage, a new master bedroom suite and a porch. Sold in 1968 to architect Jack Feagley and his wife, Doris. Jack Feagley, who worked with Dow 1962-1981, bumped out the dining room wall, reoriented the kitchen, and turned the porch into a family room. Deeded to the Doris J. Feagley Trust. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
1941 - The Donald and Louise C. Irish House, 1801 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. Built by Alden Dow. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Sold to Randy and Lorraine Seiss. Sold in 2008 to Brian and Michelle Deeth.
1941 - The Frank Boonstra House, 1401 Helen Street, Midland MI. Built by Alden Dow. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Sold to Herbert Johnson. Sold in 2008 to Elan Lipschitz and Deborah Anderson.
1941 - The Dow Chemical Lab, 4607 Eastman, Midland MI. Converted in 1960 to the C. B. Branch Residence. Branch became President of Dow Chemical in 1971. Sold in 2021 to Robert and Loraine Webb.
1941 - The E. G. MacMartin Residence, 3109 West Nelson Street, Midland MI. Sold in 1997 to Patrick and Leah Miller. Sold in 2004 to Jonathan and Lisa Moore. Altered with the addition of a second garage and it appears the living room window changed to a corner window.
1941 - The John Josef Grebe Residence, 90 Wiley Lane, Midland MI. Grebe was Director of the Dow Chemical Company Physical Chemistry Research Laboratories. Sold several times. 3635 sf with 265' frontage on the Chippewa River. Sold in 2011 to Guy McLaughlin.
1941 - The Shailer Bass Residence, 1805 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. Bass developed Dow Corning's first product, a simple silicone grease. 3128 sf. Has been significantly altered. Sold to James and Linda Mathieu.
1941 - The Thomas Dafoe Residence, 2324 Nurmi Drive, Bay City MI. Sold in 1986 George F. Ascherl Jr. Color photos by E. Thor Carlson.
1941 - Dow designed a 5000-person town, Lake Jackson TX, for employees of his father's Dow Chemical Company site near Freeport TX. Includes houses on Camellia Street and surrounding area. The first residents arrived at the end of 1943. Photo above is an example of a single-family house. Population as of 2016 is 27,000.
1943 - The Circle House, aka the House of Circles. Unbuilt.
1943 - House Type 201. Unbuilt.
1944 - The William Hale Charch Residence, 2109 Brintons Bridge Road, West Chester PA. Sold around 1987 to Jeffrey Azpell. Sold in 1992. Sold in 2004 to Kris Bartosiak.
1944 - The Donnell House, Findlay OH. Based on the 1943 House of Circles design. Unbuilt.
1944 - The US Plywood House. Presumed unbuilt.
1945 - The Addington House. Unbuilt.
1945 - A House for the Southwest. Presumed unbuilt.
1945 - The Burclick House, Midland MI. Presumed unbuilt.
1945 - The Draper House, Houston TX. Presumed unbuilt.
1945 - The Maher House, Midland TX. Presumed unbuilt.
1945 - The Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority House, 505 MAC Avenue, East Lansing MI. Unbuilt.
1945 - The Okoonian House. Presumed unbuilt.
1945 - The Hanchell House, Big Rapids MI. Presumed unbuilt.
1945 - The Michigan Solar House Competition, sponsored by Libbey-Owens-Ford, which got 48 prominent architects to submit designs, one for each state at the time, to propose a solar house. The goal of building 48 solar houses proved untenable due to a variety of reasons, however, they did produce a book in 1947, Your Solar Home. Other architects involved included George Fred Keck, Louis Kahn, and O'Neil Ford.
Before 1946 - Low Cost Houses for Michigan and Texas. There was one two-bedroom in Texas and three in Michigan (two three-bedoom and one two-bedroom). The house above appeared in Architectural Forum, July 1946, location unknown.
Before 1946 - Low Cost Houses for Michigan and Texas. There was one two-bedroom in Texas and three in Michigan (two three-bedoom and one two-bedroom).
Example house: 1125 East Haley Street, Midland MI. Appeared in Architectural Forum, December 1947. Built by Lester V. Kent.
1946 - The Michigan Governor's Mansion, site of Ferris Park, Lansing MI. Unbuilt. From The Times Herald, 1/4/1947: "The architect drawing up plans for the Michigan Governor's Mansion says the proposed structure will make Thomas Jefferson's Monticello look like two cents." Although Dow built a model, building it was going to be too expensive, and it was not built.
1946 - The Peloubet House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1946 - The Hayworth House, East Lansing MI. Unbuilt.
1946 - The Gardner House. Unbuilt.
1946 - House 1946. Unbuilt.
1946 - The Fred Olsen House, Guilford CT. Unbuilt.
1946 - The Zass House, Long Island NY. Unbuilt.
1946 - The Millard F. Saxton Residence, 2470 Nolen Drive, Flint MI. According to TIME in 1949, Saxton wanted "a lot of room on a low budget." Sold to James and Lynne Smith.
1946 - The Ted Gwizdala Residence, 2360 West Midland Road, Midland MI. Gwizdala was Dow's master woodworker. Photos by E. Thor Carlson.
1947 - The H. W. Douma Residence, 125 Bay View Avenue, Petoskey MI. Sold in 2006 to the Selden Family Trust.
1947 - The Jesse Kreger House, 29451 East River Road, Grosse Ile MI. Commissioned in 1944. Sold in 2016 to Jen Hutchison.
Around 1947 - The Ingersoll Steel / Borg Warner Demonstration House, 1103 Crown Street, Kalamazoo MI. Seeking an efficient and economical way to build homes, architect J. Fletcher Lankton of Peoria IL designed a utility core that brought together all the plumbing pipes, wiring conduits and other necessary mechanical items in one unit that could be manufactured offsite and inserted into a house under construction. The unit included a furnace, water softener and heater, plumbing for bathroom, laundry and kitchen, and electric, gas and ventilation connections. It was 2.5 feet wide, 7.5 feet long and 6.5 feet high and would fit through any standard door. The design saved scarce metal, allowed the elimination of a basement, and was fast since it could be installed in less than one day. Lankton persuaded Kalamazoo’s Ingersoll Steel and Disc Division of the Borg-Warner Corporation to build the prototype. Other architects beside Dow who did houses were Harwell Hamilton Harris, Edward Durell Stone, Royal Barry Wills, L. Morgan Yost, George Fred Keck, and Hugh Stubbins Jr. Landscape architect Michael Rapuano developed the site plan. Sold to the Stroupe Family Trust.
1947 - The Macauley and Helen Whiting Residence, 2203 Eastman Road, Midland MI. Helen was the niece of Alden Dow. In the early 1970s, the Whitings moved from Midland to Idaho and donated the property to the City of Midland. The Herbert and Grace Dow Foundation acquired the property and leased the space. Became the Northwood University Alden B. Dow Creativity Center. Has been altered.
1947 - The Love House. Unbuilt.
1948 - The Harold Anderson Residence, 340 Wildwood Drive, East Lansing MI. Sold to Harry Raulet. Sold in 2001 to Hugh B. Fox. Photos by E. Thor Carlson.
1948 - The Willard Bennett House, Ludington MI. Unbuilt.
1949 - The Parker Frisselle Residence, 10 Snowfield Court, Midland MI. Sold to Ned and Dorothy Arbury. Transferred in 2005 to the Dorothy Arbury Trust.
1949 - The Sibley W. Hoobler House, 2228 Belmont Road, Ann Arbor MI. Sold to S. Martin Lindenauer.
1949 - The First Baptist Church Parsonage, 314 West Nelson Street, Midland MI. Sold to Wickham Allen. Sold in 2013 to Tad Sumner.
Sometime in the 1940s - The Howe House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1950 - The Robert Ballmer House, 1111 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. Sold to James E. Johnson.
1950 - The A. C. Colpaert Residence, Kenilworth Road, South Bend IN. Unbuilt.
1950 - The Ward House, Big Rapids MI. Unbuilt.
1950 - The Charles S. Comey Residence, 22581 Statler Street, St. Clair Shores MI. Sold to Delores and Lynn Drayton. Sold in 2021.
1950 - The Robert B. Bennett Residence, 1015 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. 5000 sf. Sold in 2010 to Michael and Connie Gavin. Sold in 2021 to Ron and Victoria Jendretzke.
1950 - The Robert Myers Residence, 1062 Morris Road, Lapeer MI. 400 acres. 2409 sf. Sold to the Leo and Genevieve Dorr Trust.
1950 - The Paul N. Sutton Residence, aka Sandwich Panel House #1, 4619 Concord Court, Midland MI. Sandwich panels were low density foam polyester cores used in panels for exterior walls, interior partitions, and roofs. Sold to Shannon K. Roller.
1950 - The James J. Harrington House, 8926 M-68, Alanson MI. Sold in 2017.
1951 - The Leonard Bergstein Residence, 7 Snowfield Court, Midland MI. Sold to Patricia E. Reif. Sold in 2007 to Shelly Walczak and Mark Shellhorn. Sold in 2022. Bottom photo by Tyler Merkel.
1951 - The Heber and Josephine Ashmun House, aka The Timber Teepee, 11 Snowfield Court, Midland MI. An A-frame which got Dow huge publicity. Altered in 1956 by Dow. Sold in 2009. Sold in 2010 to Arthur and Arlene Perry. For sale in 2023. Top photo by Tyler Merkel.
1952 - The M. B. Goldberger Residence, 65 Davis Drive, Saginaw MI. Sold in 2006 to Joao and Kimberly Macedo. Sold in 2012 to Robert and Deborah Bula.
1952 - The Herbert H. Dow II Residence, 2301 West Sugnet Road, Midland MI. Sold to Peter J. and Barbara Carras, owners as of 2022.
1952 - The Lyle Colburn Residence, 512 West Meadowbrook Drive, Midland MI. Sold to Mark and Carol McPherson. Sold in 2005 to Stelian and Mariana Grigoras.
1952 - The Joseph James House, aka Sandwich Panel House #2, aka the Richard O. and Mary Whipple Residence, 4621 Concord Court, Midland MI. Sold to Bonnie Larson. Sold around 2000 to Robert Grzegorcyzk. Windows have been changed.
1952 - The R. M. Athay Residence, aka Sandwich Panel House #3, 4622 Concord Court, Midland MI. Sold in 2006 to Julianne Cook. Sold in 2023 to Lance Rynearson, who restored it.
1952 - The William M. Yates Residence, 27 Lexington Court, Midland MI. 2483 sf. Commissioned in 1950. Sold in 2010 to Steven Odom and Neydi Quinteros. Sold to the Dorothy Yates Trust. Sold in 2012 to the Michael and Shelly Kunselman Trust.
1952 - The Thomas Dafoe Lakeside House. Unbuilt.
1952 - The LeFevre House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1953 - The McDonald House, Ann Arbor MI. Unbuilt.
1953 - The Experimental House with Folded Plate Roof. Unbuilt.
1954 - The Dau House, Harbor Springs MI. Unbuilt.
1954 - The Evans House. Unbuilt.
1954 - The Herbert Doan Cottage, Higgins Lake MI. Status unknown.
1955 - The George E. and Gloria Jacobus Olson Residence, 4306 Sherwood Court, Midland MI. Commissioned in 1954. Gloria came to Midland to work in Dow's office just after World War II. George worked for Dow Chemical. Deeded to the Gloria Olson Trust.
1954 - The I. Frank Harlow Residence, 1208 Crescent Drive, Midland MI. 3276 sf. Sold to Andrew and Mary Shafer. Sold in 2001 to the Mary M. Kin Trust. Sold in 2018 to Lindsay and Ryan Ash.
1954 - The Joseph L. Sherk Residence, 605 Hillcrest Road, Midland MI. Commissioned in 1953. Sold to Scott and Patrice Kareus. Sold in 2007 to Brian and Mary Aurand. Sold in 2015 to Kara Sayger and Jeffrey Martindale.
1954 - The Robert Birmingham Residence, 5 Lakeridge Drive, Adrian MI. Sold to Todd and Ramona Green.
1955 - The Mark W. Dick Residence, 240 Greenwich Road NE, Grand Rapids MI. Sold to Berger Walsh. Sold in 2002 to Mike and Jennifer Seymore. For sale in 2022.
1955 - The Herbert D. Doan Residence, 3801 Valley Drive, Midland MI. 9300 sf. Deeded to the Anna J. Doan Trust. Several additions and alterations.
1955 - The Herbert H. Dow II Cottage, 3945 Pilgrim Highway, Frankfort MI. Deeded to Pamela Dow Collie (daughter of Michael Doan). She also owns the house next door at 3913.
1955 - The Munson House #1, aka the W-Frame House. Unbuilt.
1955 - The Braden House, Grosse Isle MI. Unbuilt.
1956 - The Munson House #2, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1956 - The Webster House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1956 - The Grebe House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1956 - The John Collinson House, aka W-Frame House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1956 - Model House Representing the Southeast Housing Homestyle Center, aka Grand Rapids Homestyle Center Residence, Grand Rapids MI. Unbuilt. Other participants in the center included Ralph Rapson, Harwell Hamilton Harris, George Nelson, and Paul Rudolph.
In 1956 Detroit realtor Jason Honigman conceived a project called The Home Research Foundation to showcase new modernist houses on 80 acres outside Grand Rapids, MI. The press referred to it as "an outdoor museum for houses," "the world's most wondrous village," and, eventually, "the lost theme park." The project was extensively promoted in major design magazines such as Architectural Record, Arts and Architecture, and Interiors. The first set of 12 homes was to be designed and started in 1956, followed by 13 in 1957, and 25 more over a span of 3 years, ending in 1960. The Home Research Foundation closed its offices in May 1957 due to funding issues. The Homestyle Center was never built but the original lake around which the houses were to be built is now part of the 132 acre Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, which was planned in 1982 and opened in 1995.
1956 - The Dan Rowland Residence, 3400 Applewood Road, Midland MI. Sold in 1986 to Debra S. Warner. Working drawings were prepared by the owner, Dan Rowland, who built it. Addition by Jackson B. Hallett AIA.
1956 - The Leland Ira Doan Residence, 3701 Valley Drive, Midland MI. Sold to Peter and Barbara Dow Carras, daughter of Dow. Deeded in 1998 to their son and his wife, John A. and Jenny S. Carras.
1957 - The Cleland Allison House, 3401 Applewood, Midland MI. 3107sf. Allison was also project architect. Sold in 1989 to Paula Headbloom. Sold in 2004 to Catherine and Robert Morris. Sold in 2011 to Marilyn Haupt. Sold in 2021 to Tom and JoDee Vought.
1957 - The Stephen Marshall Residence, 4918 Campau Drive, Midland MI. Sold to Ronald Thomson. Sold to the Margaret Rockwell Trust. Sold in 2007 to Sarah G. Gorman. An unfinished basement was later finished to include a bedroom, bathroom, and recreation room. A screened porch also has been added. Bottom photo by Tyler Merkel.
1957 - The Peters Oppermann Residence, 5 Center Woods Drive North, Saginaw MI. Photo by E. Thor Carlson. Sold in 2008 and 2011. Sold in 2013 to Craig and Michelle Schneider.
1957 - The John S. Pierson Residence, 408 Ardussi Street, Saginaw MI. Sold to Shirley and Nelson Putman. Sold in 1987 to Vernon and Brenda Stoner. Sold in 1991 to Hyonwun and Okja Shin. Photo by E. Thor Carlson.
1957 - The Surath House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1958 - The Robert Blackhurst Residence, 3124 Valley Drive, Midland MI. Commissioned in 1956. Sold to the Helen L. Hanson Trust. Sold to Lance and Elizabeth Lewis, granddaughter of Dow through Barbara Dow Carras. There was an addition. Sold in 2020. Bottom photo by Tyler Merkel.
1958 - The Charles F. Reed Residence, 111 Carnarvon Drive, Houston TX. 5296 sf. Altered. Sold in 1999 to Ardeshir and Sherry Tajvari. Damaged in hurricanes, it was put on the market and eventually destroyed in 2018.
1958 - The Arnold Gabel Residence, 105 Post Street, Midland MI. Commissioned in 1957. Sold to the Alden and Vada Dow Fund. Photo by Tyler Merkel.
1958 - The William Schuette Residence, 3403 Valley Drive, Midland MI. Sold to Carl Gerstacker. Deeded in 2005 to the William D. Schuette Trust. Sold in 2006 to Rebecca and Bryan Crosby. Sold in 2008 to the Christianne and Ian Wilson Trust. Sold in 2012 to Christopher and Claudia Jue. Bottom photo by Tyler Merkel.
1958 - The Robert H. Howell Residence, 3418 Applewood Road, Midland MI. Sold to Richard Beitel. Sold in 2006 to David and Paula Neuchterlein.
1958 - aka House 8, 5811 Leeway, Midland MI. Developed by Blackhurst Realty. Sold in 2008 to James and Kristina Allen.
1958 - aka house 12, 3706 Moorland, Midland MI. Developed by Blackhurst Realty. Sold in 2017 to Elizabeth Polisky.
1959 - The Hrobron House, Columbus OH. Unbuilt.
1959 - The Carleton Washburne Residence, 2248 Kent Street, Okemos MI. Sold to James and Margarte Plagge. Sold in 2002 to Joel and Marilyn Aronoff.
1959 - The Robert W. and Jean Freligh Residence, 1111 Orchard Road, Adrian MI. Status unknown.
1959 - The Lionel Davis Residence, 1121 Greenbanks Drive, Mt. Pleasant MI. Deeded in 1998 to Gilbert Klickstein. Sold in 2003 to Paul B. Murray. Sold in 2021 to Chase W. Owl.
1959 - The Hazel T. Emry Residence, 1021 Glen Avenue, Mt. Pleasant MI. Mirror to the Kraus house below. Sold to Herm Triezenberg. Sold. For sale in 2020.
1960 - The Esther Kraus Residence, 1019 Glen Avenue, Mt. Pleasant MI. Mirror to the Emry house above. Sold to Ann Bardens. Sold in 2000 to Phillip and Mary P. Jennings. Photo by E. Thor Carlson.
1960 - The Russell Jameson Residence, 46 East Sanctuary Road, East Tawas MI. 6000 sf. Sold in 2012 to Richard Wilson and Bethanny Alexander.
1960 - The John Collinson Residence, 3419 Applewood Road, Midland MI. Sold to Linda Freisler. Sold in 2004 to Thomas and Jennifer Grossman. Bottom photo by Tyler Merkel.
1960 - The Chick House, Bloomfield Hills MI. Unbuilt.
1960 - The Webb House, aka W-Frame House, Traverse City MI. Unbuilt.
1960 - The Hunter House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1960 - The Laird House, Ann Arbor MI. Unbuilt.
1961 - The John E. and Margaret A. Riecker House, 3211 Valley Drive, Midland MI. Margaret was Dow's niece. Sold to Patricia and Anthony Carbone. Damaged in the 2020 flood. Sold in 2020 to Jane Darby.
1961 - The Peter J. and Barbara Dow Carras House, aka the Dow Test House, 2101 Norwood Drive, Midland MI. She was Dow's daughter. Sold to Gary and Willa Stauffer. Renovated 1973. Sold in 2005 to Derwin and Catherine Bass. Sold in 2006 to Paul and Shauna Barbeau.
1962 - The Miner S. and Mary Keeler Residence, 2525 Indian Trail SE, Grand Rapids MI. Commissioned in 1957. Still owned by the Keelers as of 2005.
1962 - The George W. Cannon Residence, 1500 Rood Point Road, Norton Shores MI. Commissioned 1959. Deeded to his son, George W. Cannon Jr. A pool was added in 1969. Deeded to his son, George W. Cannon III.
1962 - The Joseph (Joe) D. and Julia Morris House, 7 Regent Drive, Ann Arbor MI. Sold in 2002 to Howard Shapiro.
1963 - The Lynn Townsend House, 1485 Kirkway Road, Bloomfield Hills MI. Sold to Brigitte and Judith Taubman. Sold to shopping mall magnate Alfred Taubman.
1963 - The Salvation Army Citadel, 1517 Bayliss Street, Midland MI. Sold to Creative 360 and used for arts classes. For sale in 2023.
1963 - The Bildor Idea House, Midland MI. Unbuilt. Bildor was a magazine by the Builders Association of Detroit and came to be the buzzword for a well-built home.
1963 - The Anderson House, East Lansing MI. Unbuilt.
1963 - The Donald Bennett House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
1965 - The Markley House, Blookfield Hills MI. Unbuilt.
1966 - The Oppermann Cottage, Higgins Lake MI. Unbuilt.
1966 - The Douglas M. and Grace Knight House, aka the Duke President's House, 2402 Academy Road, Durham NC. Also listed as 1508 Pinecrest Road, Durham NC. Landscape design by Dick Bell. Commissioned in 1963. Former NC Governor Terry Sanford, then President of Duke, wanted a nice place to entertain donors. Douglas Knight was the first Duke president to live here. Located on 436 acres that includes the Duke golf course. The house was used as a guest house for Duke's VIP guests then later as a residence for Duke Health executives. Renovated around 2016. Most photos by Daniel Perrin.
1966 - The Michael L. Dow House, 1172 Wrightwind Drive, Okemos MI. Sold in 1996 to Lisa and Michael Allen. Sold in 2020 to Jacob and Rachelle Baker Martin. Color photos by E. Thor Carlson.
1968 - The Mrs. Herbert H. Dow II Retreat house, Frankfort MI. Unbuilt.
1968 - The Gillaspy Residence, Mid-Michigan Community College, 1375 South Clare Avenue, Harrison MI. Used as the President's residence. Photos by President Carol Churchill from 2010.
1971 - The Peter J. and Barbara Dow Carras Cottage, 321 Old Stage Road, Benmark Club, Roscommon MI. Barbara was Dow's daughter.
1973 - The James Duffy Cottage, 700 North Riverside Avenue, St. Clair MI. Sold to Christopher and Karen Brieden.
1988 - The Donald L. Smith Residence, 2806 Orchard Drive, Midland MI. The original 1960 Dow design was revised for construction by Dow/Howell/Gilmore Associates. Sold to Samuel and Nancy Adler. Sold to the Donald Smith Living Trust.
1992 - The Mills Summer Home, aka W-Frame House, Higgins Lake, Roscommon MI.
Year unknown - The Weckler House, Midland MI. Unbuilt.
Sources include: Wikipedia; Duke Magazine; Virtual GlobeTrotting; Dow Timeline; Michigan Modern; Alden B. Dow: Midwestern Modern by Diane Maddex; Architecture of Alden Dow by Sidney K. Robinson.