The Philip Rich residence was designed by Alden B. Dow in the spring/summer of 1940. Mr. Rich was the publisher and founder of the Midland Daily News. In May, floor plans had been prepared for the client with color renderings showing a one-story structure. The detailed drawings for the house carry…
The Macauley Whiting residence was designed in 1947 for Macauley and Helen Dow Whiting. Mrs. Whiting was the niece of Alden B. Dow, the architect of the home. Mr. Whiting worked for the Dow Chemical Company, becoming Manager of the Midland Division and later, Director and President of Overseas Operations.…
In the spring of 1947, the First Baptist Church wanted a new home that would prove attractive to their prospects for a new minister. Alden B. Dow was approached to design the home and drawings were completed in 1948. A cost breakdown provided by the general contractor shows a total…
Robert Bennett was Alden B. Dow’s brother-in-law and younger brother of Vada Bennett Dow. Mr. Bennett worked at the Dow Chemical Company for a number of years, becoming Treasurer of the company in 1959 at the age of 39. Following the wishes of Mr. Bennett’s wife, the architect designed a…
Mid-Century Modern Midland (MCMM), a project of the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio, committed to documenting, preserving and celebrating Midland, Michigan’s architectural heritage, has created a website and mobile app to share an unprecedented collection of over 400 Mid-Century Modern buildings. Through a customized database, the website and app…
Listen to Michigan Radio's Stateside interview with Craig McDonald regarding "Midland's treasure trove of mid-century modern architecture"
Dr. Robert Ballmer was a physician with an office on Main Street in Midland, Michigan, but when it came to building a house for his family, he chose a long narrow lot overlooking the golf course of the Midland Country Club, and asked Alden B. Dow to design it. …
Alden B. Dow’s plans for the residence known as the Dow Chemical Company House 101 are dated June of 1939. No job files exist for the structure, thus its construction date and cost are unknown. Without a named owner at the time the drawings were made, the design was likely…
F. W. Lewis was an accountant for the Dow Chemical Company. The first sketches for his modest house are dated 1933, with construction completed a year later for $2,500. At approximately 900 square feet, it marked the beginning of Alden B. Dow’s abiding interest in the design of low-cost housing.
The idea came to Alden B. Dow as he sat quietly in an auditorium, watching the conductor and musicians performing in concert. He wondered if there might be a way to enhance the enjoyment of a musical performance by adding color, light, and movement to the experience. He began experimenting…