The quality and originality of his work, as well as his association with Frank Lloyd Wright, have earned him lasting national recognition.

With the Dow Chemical Company located in Midland Michigan, the community had not been hit as hard as the rest of the country.

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.

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.