Calder went into business as a builder and architect, most notably in the Park Slope and Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

In this capacity, he developed the "Calder House," a semi-detached two-family structure that was widely adopted in the latter district.

[3] From 1902 until his death, Calder resided in the former district at 551 1st Street, a limestone townhouse built by competitor William Flanagan.

In 1914, he lost the Republican primary for the United States Senate to James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr.

[1] His papers are held in a number of archives including: Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; the New York Historical Society; and Yale University.