Alden B. Dow is one of the famous Architect, who was born on the memorable day of April 10 in the year 1904. Hailing from the vibrant city of Michigan, Alden B. Dow is a proud citizen of United States.
Prolific architect who designed more than 100 churches, residences, and commercial buildings. He designed the Midland Center for the Arts and the Grace A. Dow Library in his Michigan hometown.
Over the years, not only have skills been honed, but a significant impact has also been made in the professional field. Whether it's through work, public appearances, or contributions to the community, Alden B. Dow continues to be an inspiration for many.
Personal Information
Details about Alden B. Dow
Popular As:
Alden B. Dow
First Name:
Alden
Last Name:
Dow
Gender:
Male
Birthday:
April 10
Birth Year:
1904
Death Date:
1983-08-20
Death Day:
August 20
Death Year:
1983
Place of Death:
Midland, MI
Place of Burial:
Midland City Cemetery
Father:
Herbert Henry Dow
Education:
University of Michigan; Midland High School; Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Columbia University
Career
He studied engineering with the expectation he’d join the family business, but then turned to architecture instead after three years, transferring to Columbia University. He graduated in 1931.
He designed a company town for 5,000 Dow Chemical employees just west of Freeport, Texas, which was notable for its lack of straight streets.
Family
His father, Herbert Henry Dow, started his eponymous chemical company, Dow Chemical Company. He and Vada Bennett, daughter of Dow Chemical employee Earl Bennett, were married in 1931. They had th He was an apprentice to the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Alden B. Dow Timeline
1930
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.
1931
After three years, Dow transferred as a student of architecture at Columbia University, where he graduated in 1931.
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1933
After working for a year and a half with the architectural firm of Frantz and Spence in nearby Saginaw, he and Vada studied with architect Frank Lloyd Wright at his Taliesin studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin, for the summer in 1933.
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1934
Following his brief ("a few months" ) apprenticeship with Frank Lloyd Wright, Dow opened his own studio in 1934 in Midland.
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1937
He received the Diplome de Grand Prix at that 1937 Paris International Exposition for best residential design in the world, based on the design of his residence and also for his work on the John Whitman residence.
1941
In 1941, Dow officially incorporated his business as Alden B.
1943
The first residents moved in at the end of 1943.
1950
The Midland Center for the Arts, the 1950s Grace A.
1960
Its narrow windows (all located above the first floor) and fortress-like exterior led to a campus rumor that it was designed in the wake of the student activism of the 1960s to be riot-proof.
1963
In 1963, he changed the business name to Alden B.
1968
Dow designed the Fleming Administration Building at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, completed in 1968.
1974
Dow relinquished the chairmanship of his company in 1974 to Jim Howell.
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1983
In 1983, Dow was named the architect laureate of Michigan, an achievement in his 50-year career.
1989
Six years later, in 1989, Dow's residence was designated as a National Historic Landmark, both for its own architectural significance and the contributions of his career to national American architecture.
