Alden B. Dow Home and Studio | |
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Location | 315 Post St., Midland, Michigan |
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Area | 27.2 acres (11.0 ha) [1] |
Built | 1936 |
Architect | Alden B. Dow |
NRHP reference No. | 89001167 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | June 29, 1989 [2] |
Designated NHL | June 29, 1989 [3] |
Alden B. Dow Home and Studio, also known as Alden B. Dow Home & Studio, in Midland, Michigan, is the home and studio that were the residence and acknowledged masterpiece of 20th century architect Alden B. Dow. The quality and originality of his work, as well as his association with Frank Lloyd Wright, have earned him lasting national recognition.
Construction for the first studio began in 1934, while the majority of the United States was struggling through the Great Depression. With the Dow Chemical Company located in Midland Michigan, the community had not been hit as hard as the rest of the country. Being that Alden was a child of the Dow Chemical founder, Herbert H. Dow, he had many opportunities within Midland to practice architecture. [4] The first studio was completed in 1935 and construction for the second studio began in 1936. The second studio was completed in 1937. The studio was created as a workplace for Alden's architectural firm. As well as the two drafting rooms, there was also an entry and reception area and the sunken conference room, which sits below water level. The pond was created by diverting the stream that ran through the property. [5] The studio portion also had a woodshop, an office and Alden's office which was the buffer between the studio and home. The woodshop has been turned into a museum with a gift shop. [6]
Dow built his home and studio between 1937 and 1940. Throughout the home there are visible construction materials including the building blocks that were patented in 1935, "Unit Blocks". Alden Dow's exploration of block construction began after graduating from the Columbia School of Architecture in 1931 and an eight-month apprenticeship at Taliesin in 1933. Alden Dow, along with Robert Goodall, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's draftsman, created a rhomboid block, mostly with a square face in 16 different sizes. This became known as Alden B. Dow's Unit Block building system. Dow used them to form walls and terraces, as well as decoration elements such as the stepping stones in the surrounding pond on the property. In addition to the unique shape and structural integrity of the building blocks, the other identifying characteristic of the Unit Blocks was that they were made of the cinder that he saw piling up outside The Dow Chemical Company furnaces. His father, Herbert Dow, had utilized this same cinder waste to construct “clinker” bridges in their family gardens (now, Dow Gardens). [7] [8]
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. [1] [3]
It was awarded the Paris Prize for Residential Architecture in 1937. [5]
The house is open to the public for tours and abuts the Dow Gardens.
Traditional Home magazine listed the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio on a 2014 list of "The 25 Best Historic Homes in America", Great Estates: A new look at historic house museums [9]
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Michigan. The city's population was 42,547 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Combined Statistical Area.
Herbert Henry Dow was a Canadian-born American chemical industrialist who founded the American multinational conglomerate Dow Chemical. A graduate of the Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, Ohio, he was a prolific inventor of chemical processes, compounds, and products, notably bromine extraction from sea water, and was a successful businessman.
Dow Gardens is a 110-acre (45 ha) botanical garden located at 1809 Eastman Avenue, Midland, Michigan, United States. Visitors are invited to leave the pathway and explore the uniquely-designed landscape, take a tour of the historic Pines Home, participate in one of many hands-on educational programs, stroll the nation's longest canopy walk, and discover beautiful art and music in a relaxed setting.
Alden B. Dow, an architect based in Midland, Michigan, was renowned for his contributions to the Michigan Modern style. Beginning in the 1930's, he designed more than 70 residences and dozens of churches, schools, civic and art centers, and commercial buildings during his 30+ year career. The Midland Center for the Arts, the 1950s Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, and his former residence, the Alden Dow House and Studio, are among the numerous examples of his work located in his hometown of Midland, Michigan. He is the son of industrialist Herbert Dow, the founder of the Dow Chemical Company, and his wife, philanthropist Grace A. Dow. Dow is known for his prolific and striking Modernist architectural designs.
The Herbert H. Dow House is an historic house located in the Dow Gardens of Midland, Michigan. Built in 1899, it was the home of Herbert H. Dow, founder of Dow Chemical Company, from then until his death in 1930. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. The house is open for guided tours; admission is charged.
Dow House may refer to the following buildings in the United States :
The Alden Dow Building Co. was an American firm associated with architect Alden B. Dow.
The LeRoy Smith House is a private house, designed by Alden B. Dow, and located at 9503 Frank Street in Algonac, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
The James T. Pardee House is a single-family home located at 812 West Main Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The Howard Ball House is a single-family home located at 1411 West St. Andrews Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The Joseph A. Cavanagh House is a single-family home located at 415 West Main Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The house is architecturally significant because it demonstrates the beginnings of architect Alden B. Dow's interpretation of the Prairie Style.
The F. W. Lewis House is a single-family home located at 2913 Manor Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The Oscar C. Diehl House is a single-family home located at 919 East Park Drive in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The Sheldon Heath House is a single-family home located at 1505 West St. Andrews Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The John S. Whitman House is a single-family home located at 2407 Manor Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The George Greene House is a single-family home located at 115 West Sugnet Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The Alden Hanson House is a single-family home located at 1605 West St. Andrews Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The Donald and Louise Clark Irish House is a single-family home located at 1801 West Sugnet Road in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Mr. and Mrs. Louis P. Butenschoen House is a single-family home located at 1212 Helen Street in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Robert E. and Barbara Schwartz House is a single-family home located at 3201 West Sugnet Road in Midland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.