1411 W St. Andrews

MID-MOD ON ST. ANDREWS! (visit www.1411andrews.com for more info). The Ball House, designed by Alden B. Dow FAIA, is guaranteed to catch the eye of any architecture enthusiast because it embodies many of the characteristics that make this era of design so unique. Shortly after receiving his degree in architecture, Dow spent the summer of 1933 with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin East and then returned to Midland. In 1934, Dow opened “Alden B. Dow, Inc.” which launched a career that would help transform his city into a mecca for Mid–Century Modern design. In collaboration with his chief draftsmen Robert Goodall, Dow developed what came to be called the “Unit Block”. Dow noted that this rhomboid shape was “less disturbing to the eye” than the zigzagging joints of concrete blocks and bricks. Howard Ball of the sales department at Dow Chemical Company received a Unit Block house up the street from two other properties designed for the Hansons and the Heaths. Similar to these other homes, the Ball house is laid out on a four-foot unit system with its location on the lot carefully worked out. In 2016, a meticulous six year restoration of the Ball House began. This process revived many of the features of the initial design ensuring Dow’s original vision can once again be experienced. The Ball House did prove to be an exciting glimpse into the future as Alden B. Dow and his fellow Midland architects went on to create a city with hundreds of incredibly designed structures. Call today for a private tour of the Ball House!