Arnold R. Gabel was a chemist for the Dow Chemical Company in the Physical Research, Cellulose, Biochemical Research, and Main Analytical Laboratories. He was awarded several patents during his years with the company and developed a method of producing ethyl cellulose plastic. Alden B. Dow experimented with plastic as a…
Alden B. Dow first explored the use of sandwich panels in the construction of low-cost houses in 1946. The panels of Styrofoam core glued to plywood facings were developed in conjunction with a Dow Chemical Company product engineer in the summer of 1950. Styrofoam panels of 1-5/8” thickness were glued…
Called an “outdoor museum for houses” by the journal Architectural Record, the Homestyle Center was a project conceived by Detroit realtor Jason Honigman and promoted by Arleigh Hitchcock, an architect and sales manager for the Herman Miller Furniture Company. Their plan was to build a permanent display center for up to 50…
“Why strive to be creative?" Perhaps I should ask, “Why strive to breathe?” In most creative personalities, it is every bit as necessary to be creative as it is to take in oxygen. It is a simple prerequisite of life. To many – to most – of us, to live…
August 16, 2019 3pm-4:30pm Alden B. Dow Home and Studio Archive and Theater 315 Post Street, Midland MI Cost $15 All aboard for a special program devoted to Alden B. Dow’s love of trains at the Home & Studio on Friday, August 16, at 3:00 pm! An enthusiastic scale model…
The first church designed by Alden B. Dow was the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1941. The 275 members approached the architect with the idea that in building their place of worship one should choose the natural and the simple, while also informing him that…
A new synthetic product developed by the Dow Chemical Company in the late 1930s, ethyl cellulose or Ethocel, captured the imagination of Alden B. Dow for its potential as a building material. While initially developed for use in industry, the architect tested its use in the design of the 1940…
Few architects have the opportunity to design a whole community, but Alden B. Dow had just such a unique opportunity in 1941 in Lake Jackson, Texas. Dow Chemical was expanding its plant in Freeport and the new town was to be built nearby for its employees. In the space of…
Alden B. Dow designed this modest, one-story home in 1937 for the Reverend and Mrs. A. C. Barclay, the grandparents of his wife, Vada Bennett Dow. There are no specifications and no signed contract in the job files, but an itemized account statement shows that the total cost of building…
LeRoy Smith and his family lived in Highland Park, Michigan, but owned land along the St. Clair River near Algonac for summer trips. In the late 1930’s, they decided to build a summer house on the property to take advantage of the river view. Mr. Smith wrote to Alden B.…