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. ...
“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 is to be...
Louis Butenschoen joined the Dow Chemical Company in 1935 as a member of the sales staff. During his career, he would develop the sales market for dry cleaning solvents and eventually became the manager of the new solvents unit. In 1941, he contacted Alden B. Dow...
Structures for Sale MCMM is happy to provide Mid-Century Modern owners the opportunity to advertise their structures on our site. In order to have an ad approved, the structure must be Mid-Century Modern design. You will upload all relevant information about your...
Occupying an entire city block on a busy corner of Main Street in downtown Midland, the First Methodist Church was designed by Alden B. Dow in 1947. “The architecture of this church, he wrote, “is to inspire the concept of growth…growth beyond ourselves, beyond...
Mid-Century Modern Midland (MCMM), a project of the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio, has been recognized by Docomomo US, as one of 10 winners of the 2019 Modernism in America Awards. The MCMM’s project to document and share Midland’s unique contribution to the...
Alden B. Dow regarded St. John’s Lutheran Church on East Carpenter Street in Midland as one of his most significant religious structures. Designed in 1953, the nave of the church accommodates 600 people with no one in the congregation more than 60 feet away from...
Frank Harlow was a lawyer with a private practice in Midland before joining the legal department of the Dow Chemical Company in 1952. The Harlow family had outgrown their small house when they approached Alden B. Dow in 1954 about designing a new home. The...
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...
Listen to Michigan Radio's Stateside interview with Craig McDonald regarding "Midland's treasure trove of mid-century modern architecture"
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...
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.
