The Jesse Kreger Residence by Alden B. Dow
Most of the usual documentation that tells the story of the design of an Alden B. Dow home does not exist for the Jesse Kreger residence on Grosse Ile, a picturesque island south of Detroit. There are specifications, just a few working drawings, and a color pencil presentation drawing, but no contract, no correspondence, and […]
Herbert Henry Dow High School by Alden B. Dow
Just eight years after the opening of Midland High School, Alden B. Dow began the design of his second high school for his growing hometown. Named in honor of his father, the site planning and design development phases for Herbert Henry Dow High School unfolded over the course of 1965. The specifications for a 275,000 […]
2022 Tunnel Tours At The Alden B. Dow Home and Studio
2022 Tunnel Tours At The Alden B. Dow Home and Studio Saturdays in February March and April and Spring Break Week 3/28/2022 to 4/1/2022 Have you ever wanted to explore and discover a hidden underground passage way? “The Tunnel” is just one of the many captivating and enchanting surprises of the Alden B. Dow Home and […]
Conservation of the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio’s Japanese Folding Screen
While traveling in Japan in April of 1960, Alden and Vada Dow purchased a pair of folding screens from Yamoto Brothers and Company in Kyoto, along with a set of old brass carpenter’s tools. The folding screens were described on the original invoice as Old Gold Paper “Hotaiko” Flower Picnic Design; painter unknown. Each one […]
The University of Michigan Administration Building by Alden B. Dow
During the 1950s and 1960s, Alden B. Dow built six university and three civic buildings in Ann Arbor. Perhaps his most unusual campus building was the University of Michigan Administration Building, which he designed in 1964. The exterior is like a geometric Mondrian painting rendered in three dimensions. The brick curtain wall fastened to the […]
Mid-Century Modern App offers FREE Architecture Touring in Midland
As previously announced, The Alden B. Dow Home and Studio and Mid-Century Modern Midland (MCMM) will be hosting special tour offerings as part of the National Travel and Leisure Tour Day, on Saturday, October 9th. In addition to exclusive Home and Studio tours, two docent-led “walking-tours”, and a free self-guided tour featuring the Andre/James/Cruz/Willard neighborhood have […]
The Robert W. Freligh Residence by Alden B. Dow
Alden B. Dow began developing plans for a home for the Robert W. Freligh family in Adrian, Michigan, in early 1959. By June, the architect had prepared a preliminary sketch and enclosed it with a letter in which he described the multi-level layout he envisioned: “On the bottom right side of this sheet you will […]
Rare Finds from the Archives: More from Alden and Vada Dow’s Art Print Collection
Formes et couleurs: vingt planches en couleurs contenant soixante-sept motifs decoratifs is an album designed by Auguste H. Thomas and published in Paris by Librairie Centrale des Beaux Arts in 1921. It is composed of 67 decorative motifs on 20 plates measuring 12.5 by 18 inches. The designs in the album were possibly for textiles […]
Rare Finds from the Archives: More from Alden and Vada Dow’s Art Print Collection
Along with the Georgia O’Keeffe and Vanity Fair portfolios previously highlighted, Alden and Vada Dow enjoyed the vibrant original prints created by the French artist and designer E. A. Seguy. He lived in Paris during the Art Deco and Art Nouveau movements of the 1920s. He produced 11 albums of illustrations, most of them focusing […]
Alden B. Dow Home and Studio 2021 Summer Camps
Due to the ever-changing Covid-19 situation, we are currently limiting our camps to 9 campers. If conditions improve allowing us to enroll more campers per camp, we will open up more registration. Thank you for your patience and we hope to see your campers in 2021! Enroll your child in a summer camp at the Alden […]
