Collections

The A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning (TC; also referred to as Taubman College) was established in 1931 as the College of Architecture. However, courses in architecture have been offered at the University of Michigan since 1876, and a department of architecture, formed in 1913, preceded the creation of the college. Since its formation, TC has offered courses and programs in several areas, including landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, real estate, and, of course, architecture. The record group includes dean's administrative files and correspondence, other administrator files, meeting minutes, department and program files, materials from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), lectures and other documentation on the Raoul Wallenberg lecture hosted by the college, and several photographs and negatives of the college and TC-related events.

The A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning (University of Michigan), records document the teaching of architecture and design at the University of Michigan beginning in 1878. The records include administrative files, correspondence committee minutes, reports, photographs and architectural drawings. The records have been received in a number of separate accessions which may include material that continues or complements record series from a previous accession or may overlap chronologically with previous accessions. This finding aid reflects the intellectual structure of the records by bringing like material together across accessions. As a consequence, in the container listing box numbers will not necessarily be in consecutive order.

The records are organized in the following principal series:

1. Minutes of Meetings
2. Dean's Administrative Files
3. National Architectural Accrediting Board
4. Miscellaneous (correspondence and select files)
5. Raoul. G. Wallenberg
6. Dean's Correspondence
7. Doctoral Program Files
8. Topical Files
9. Administrative Files
10. Architectural Drawings
11. Photographs and Negatives
12. Art and Architecture Building Renovations
13. Department of Urban Planning
14. Audio-Visual Material
15. Articles, Reports and Speeches
16. Artifacts
17. Archived School of Architecture Website

A. Alfred Taubman was an entrepreneur, real estate developer and philanthropist. The Taubman collection consists of business and personal records documenting his development of retail and mixed-use real estate projects, his role as a leader in the real estate industry in Michigan and nationally, his transformation of Sotheby's, his investments and business interests, his contributions to the arts, to American educational institutions, and to the city of Detroit.

This collection documents the business and philanthropic activities of A. Alfred Taubman. While this collection is not a comprehensive archive of Taubman's business and personal activities, it offers a rich and abundant resource for researchers interested in the history of commercial real estate development and those interested in Taubman's varied business concerns and philanthropic work. The bulk of the materials date from the early 1960s to the mid-1990s and include both records created by Taubman and a number of staff members of The Taubman Company. The collection is organized into eight series:

1. Shopping Centers/Commercial Development
2. Industry Leadership
3. Detroit Development
4. Business Investments
5. University Endowments
6. Topical
7. Personal
8. Athena Azerbaijan and Russia Development Projects

A New York attorney originally based in Detroit. Abdeen Jabara is concerned with issues of the civil rights of Arab Americans, the effects of the September 11th terrorist attack - nationally and globally - and the contentious relationship between Arab and Israeli organizations. The Jabara papers pertain to various litigation procedures and case files, including those in Michigan, with the federal government, and those involving various humanitarian projects. In particular, Jabara challenged the practice of law enforcement agencies to collect information and maintain surveillance of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities and Arab Americans. He was involved in a number of high-profile cases, for example, the murder trial of Sirhan Sirhan and the extradition case of Ziyād Abū ʻAyn (sometimes spelled Ziad Abu Ein or Ziad Abu Ain). Materials are organized into litigation and case files, as well as topical files pertaining to Arab American activism, organizational involvement, participation in the Middle East delegation of the National Lawyers Guild, and other pertinent global and national events highlighting Arabic issues.

The collection has been divided into four series: Litigation/Court Cases, Political and Cultural Activities, Publications, and Topical Files. The materials primarily document the types of legal and political battles and causes that Jabara has tackled throughout his career. A limited amount of material in the collection is in Arabic and French, mostly correspondence, press clippings, and newsletters, and is noted where possible in the contents list.

Researchers should note that, because of the interconnected nature of Jabara's legal, political, and cultural work, topics and materials might be found in multiple series.

The Abraham Bell papers contain correspondence and financial documents related to Abraham Bell & Co., an early 19th-century New York City shipping firm owned by Abraham Bell.

The Abraham Bell papers contain correspondence and financial documents related to Abraham Bell & Co., an early 19th-century New York City shipping firm owned by Abraham Bell. The majority of material in the Correspondence series is addressed to either Abraham Bell or to his company, and relates to various business affairs, often concerning payment or delivery of goods. Many of the letters originated from European firms, including a letter from Collman, Lambert & Co. in Liverpool, written on stationery that includes a printed list of current prices for cotton and related goods (February 8, 1837).

The Receipts and financial papers series consists of non-correspondence items related to the operation of Abraham Bell & Co. throughout the early and mid-1800s. These include records of payment and lists of cargo carried aboard Bell's ships, as well as several documents relating to loads of street manure in 1839. Several early items within this series pertain to the ship Josephine.

Fifteen Account and receipt books provide information about Bell's financial endeavors throughout the period in explicit detail, covering the years 1840-1868. A letter book contains copies of letters written by Abraham Bell between October 16, 1833, and August 15, 1834.

Miscellaneous items in the collection include an indenture for land in New Jersey belonging to the Budd family (December 25, 1812), and a record of fiscal accounts between Abraham Bell & Co. and [Malionson] Bell & Co. (June 30, 1836).

In 1955, the University of Michigan suspended three professors (H. Chandler Davis, Mark Nickerson and Clement Markert) for their refusal to give testimony before a U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities group. In 1990, the Academic Freedom Lecture Fund (AFLF) was established to honor those professors. Since 1991, AFLF has organized the annual University of Michigan Senate's Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom. Documentation begins with the 2000 symposium and includes programs, transcripts, and videotaped lectures. Also included is an upgraded videotape of the documentary Keeping in Mind.

The records of the Academic Freedom Lecture Fund (AFLF) begin in 2000, and mainly consist of videotapes of lectures from the University of Michigan Senate's annual Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom. There is no documentation of the fund itself.

The annual Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lectures on Academic and Intellectual Freedom are organized chronologically. In addition to the videotapes, documentation includes some transcripts of the lectures, and event programs. The printed program contains background on the lectures, including the resolution establishing the lecture and biographies of the three professors. The 2000 lecture folder also contains a memorial for Clement L. Markert which appeared in The Journal of Heredity.

Adam Kulakow's undergraduate documentary Keeping in Mind, focusing on the University of Michigan's handling of the Davis, Markert, Nickerson cases in the 1950s during the McCarthy era, contributed greatly to the development of the AFLF and the annual lectures. The video was shown publicly for the first time on April 9, 1989. An upgraded 2001 copy of this video is included in these records. For more information about the documentary, and the interviews conducted in support of the project, researchers may consult the Adam Kulakow Papers. The Kulakow collection consists of interview transcripts and videos, and notes which Kulakow generated while producing the documentary. It also includes a copy of the original documentary. Note: The 1989 conditions governing access to "Keeping in Mind" are presumed to remain in force. Please see the finding aid for the Adam Kulakow papers for access and use conditions.

In 2000, the University of Michigan Press published Unfettered Expression: Freedom in American Intellectual Life. The book, edited by Peggie J. Hollingsworth, contained essays originally given as lectures in the annual Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom series at the University of Michigan from 1991 to 1999.

Spiritualist medium and writer Achsa W. Sprague maintained this diary between 1855 and 1857 while touring on a lecture circuit around Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New York. She recorded her daily experiences, travels, and work lecturing and conducting medium trances. The latter portion of the volume was used by Lloyd N. Josselyn as an account book between 1880 and 1908, likely while farming in the Plymouth, Vermont, area.

Spiritualist medium and writer Achsa W. Sprague maintained this diary between 1855 and 1857 while touring on a lecture circuit around Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New York. She recorded her daily experiences, travels, and work lecturing and conducting medium trances.

Sprague began writing in Hartford, Connecticut, with commentary about her decision to keep the diary and brief reflections about being healed by "Spirit Agency" and taking up the work of "a Public Speaking Medium" (pages 1-2). She referenced her former confinement due to poor health several times in the volume (pages 8-9; 59; 76-77; 128). Sprague expressed gratitude about spirits' intervention and her ability to convene with them. For example, she wrote, "This is the most beautiful part of my mediumship, that which others do not see, that which is never spoken, but which is felt in every fibre of my soul giving a richness to life which it never had before, & a tinge of Heaven to light my path where all before was dim & shadowy. A blessing to me physically, mentally, morally, intellectually & spiritually have been these Spirits Manifestations." (pages 14-15).

Throughout the diary, Sprague noted the locations of her lectures, attendance, and the crowd's reception. She visited major cities, such as Hartford, Boston, Troy, and Philadelphia, but principally travelled between mid-sized and smaller locales. Occasionally Sprague remarked on the influence of the spirit upon her during her public meetings (pages 6-7). She attended smaller events, too, like a gathering of some twenty people, including Samuel Colt and William H. Burleigh, who met at 11:30 p.m. (page 11), or a private examination of Gerrit Smith's wife (page 14). She noted meeting one-on-one with other mediums to manifest spirits together (page 16) and included thoughts on other "Public Mediums" (page 23).

While touring, Sprague noted anti-Spiritualist lecturers and sentiments (pages 67-66; 83; 116; 149-50; 168-169), but she also wrote of preachers from Christian denominations who were open to Spiritualism or invited her to join them in their churches (page 145). Sprague recorded logistical details of her work, such as travel, housing, and securing sites for her lectures.

Sprague commented on social and professional visits with individuals active in Spiritualist circles, including Sementha Mettler (page 4); Lottie Beebe, a woman who "is said while under the Influence to give beautiful specimens of poetry & sometimes has other manifestations" (page 11); and "Sleeping Lucy" Cooke (page 54), among others. She described other mediums' techniques, like Mettler's "psychometriz[ation]," where she read people's characters based on their handwriting (page 17), or a detailed description of a "physical manifestation" (pages 109-111). Sprague referenced other mediums who used spirit influence to produce poetry, paintings, and drawings (pages 87; 107-108; 162), and she attended a Spiritualist convention at South Royalton, Vermont (pages 146-147).

At times her entries provide insight into some of her critiques about Spiritualism. She referred several times to her support for "practical Spiritualism" (page 79), and she took issue with "the thoroughly scientific or business men who become believers & advocates of this Philosophy; with all their knowledge, make not half as good actors, either as Lecturers or as practical doers, as many who have been less known in the world" (page 23). In another entry she rejected arguments connecting Spiritualism and Free Love (page 100).

Sprague wrote about being invited to funerals (pages 33-36; 114-115), attending to the dying (pages 85-86; 154-155), and speaking with the bereaved (pages 72-73). She also reflected on the death of her own family members and her belief in their role as Guardian Angels (pages 62-63). She recorded her feelings about the impact her mediumship could effect on those facing death and grief, writing, "I have been with the wretched & suffering, but I have tried to sooth their agony, I have heard many a tale of a broken heart, but I have striven to bind them, & give them the balm of consolation, I have stood by the bedside of the dying, & have watched when the breath went out & left even the forms I loved so well cold, still & silent, but I knew they did not die, that they only bloomed for a higher Sphere..." (page 158)

Several passages reflect her authorship, such as working on an article for the New England Spiritualist, decisions to write under a pen-name for a local Vermont newspaper, noticing some of her pieces were being reprinted, meeting with individuals active in Spiritualist publishing networks, and other mentions of publication (pages 53-55; 64; 74; 87; 92-93; 98-99; 102; 106; 140). Periodically, Sprague noted texts she was reading, both works of literature and those relating to Spiritualism, and she was particularly delighted while staying with a family who appreciated reading "Shelley, Tennyson, Lowell &c... But now that the weather is pleasant again I find that I am public property, & shall be obliged in a great degree to bid good bye to the quiet happiness of listening to the poets & enter into the realities of life. Well it is right to mingle in lifes realities. I Thank God for the beautiful inspirations I have listened to, but more still, for the beautiful inspirations that come to me at morn, at noon, at night from unsung poets & philosophers, even the Angel Messengers He sends. And more, still more, that it is given me to mingle with the realities of life & give them forth to the suffering children of humanity. And as far as my imperfect nature will allow me, to carry the teachings out in my own every day life, & bring them into its practicalities" (page 174). Throughout the diary she wrote introspectively about being of service, using her time profitably, and living up to her higher purpose.

Sprague's interest in social reform is also documented in the volume, in visits to the Hartford "Asylum for educating the Deaf & Dumb" (page 3), concern for the poor (pages 18-21; 49; 55; 79; 119; 140; 162; 164-7; 169-70), women's rights (pages 37-39), and prisons (pages 104-105; 170-1; 176-8). She met Lucretia Mott at a women's antislavery meeting (page 175).

Descriptions of daily life include commentary on weather and nature as well as her health and that of her family, revealing Sprague's interest in various medicinal practices such as magnetism (pages 4 and 162) and healing mediums (pages 28 and 160). While at home with her parents in Vermont, she wrote of social visits, her parents' living situation, and local requests for her to speak, including at a wedding where "A song through me from the Spirit Land concluded the services" (page 43). While on her lecture circuit, she also commented on cities she visited. For example, in Hartford she visited the "Charter Oak" and Lydia H. Sigourney's former residence (pages 4-6); in Salem, Massachusetts, she commented on how the history of the witch trials was handled in the community (page 121). She wrote of meeting a Shaker woman in Cambridge, Massachusetts, (page 122) and seeing Edwin Forrest perform in Providence (page 173). While in Philadelphia, she toured local landmarks, attended Quaker meetings and Catholic services, and visited the Academy of Fine Arts with Samuel Sartain (135). After trying to see Benjamin Franklin's burial spot, she lamented the high walls surrounding it and concluded, "There is too great a tendency in the human mind to seek the grave of the mighty dead & follow them no further" (page 138).

The diary bears pencil marks of a later hand, possibly that of Leonard Twynham indicating passages for publication. The latter portion of the volume was used by Lloyd N. Josselyn as an account book between 1880 and 1908, likely while farming in the Plymouth, Vermont, area. He documented expenditures mostly for household goods and clothing, animal care, foodstuffs, agricultural labor, taxes, digging graves and purchase of headstone, house and vehicle upkeep, etc.

The African American and African Diaspora Collection is comprised largely of individual letters, documents, and other manuscript items relating to slavery, abolition movements, and aspects of African American life, largely dating between 1781 and 1865.

The African American and African Diaspora Collection is comprised largely of individual letters, documents, and other manuscript items relating to slavery, abolition movements, and aspects of African American life, largely dating between 1781 and 1865. Topics addressed in the letters and documents include the experiences and work of enslaved persons in the North and South; the buying and selling of enslaved men, women, and children; participation in the French and Indian War, American Revolution, and Civil War of African descended persons; abolitionists and abolition societies; the American Colonization Society; the lives of formerly enslaved persons; African American education; and many other subjects. For details on each document, see the inventory located under "Detailed Box and Folder Listing"

The Agent’s sample book from Crown Card Co., Columbus, Ohio, contains 34 samples of visiting cards accompanied by prices, design names, and instructions for ordering.

The Agent’s sample book from Crown Card Co., Columbus, Ohio, contains 34 samples of visiting cards accompanied by prices, design names, and instructions for ordering. The volume (12.5 x 18 cm) is bound with blue paper and staples. Sample styles range from simple to intricate, with some including beveling, embossing, or silk borders. Most feature chromolithographic color, floral imagery, and animals. Different type settings available to a customer are also advertised.

Anarchist, social worker, friend of J. A. Labadie, and first curator of the Labadie Collection. Comprise administrative files of the Labadie Collection which she combined and intermingled with personal correspondence, memoirs, and research notes.

The Agnes Inglis Papers are comprised of a variety of materials including her correspondence, research notes, writings, scrapbooks, and her work at the Labadie Collection. The bulk of these papers range from 1924 to 1952, the years during which she served as curator of the Labadie Collection.

These papers hold significance in several respects. First, Agnes Inglis held an important place within the radical movement (anarchism, communism, socialism, etc.) in Southeastern Michigan during the first half of the 20th century, and was particularly active in the anti-conscription campaigns and the subsequent deportation of radicals surrounding the first World War. Her connections within this movement were extensive, and her papers reflect insider knowledge of the events, activities and especially of the individuals of the Left during her lifetime. Also, these papers essentially document the Labadie Collection itself. Because she was the initial and sole curator for the Collection for its first three decades in the University of Michigan libraries, her papers hold extensive information on the Collection's history. Finally, Inglis was an extremely historically minded individual and saw great value in documenting the facts and her impressions of the many people, organizations and events she came to know.

The Agnes Inglis Papers are separated into three series: Corresponsence, with Individual and Corporate subseries; Writings, with Autobiographical, Creative and Theoretical and Notes and Research subseries; and Scrapbooks.

It should also be noted here that during her time as curator of the Labadie Collection, Inglis constructed a card catalog filled with references and biographical and historical notes on the individuals, groups and events of the radical movement. Labadie staff should be consulted if one wishes to view this catalog.

The collection documents the activities of the Aladdin Company and its founding family, the Sovereigns, from 1907 until 1989. The Aladdin Company was a manufacturer of catalog "kit homes" in Bay City, MI second in sales volume only to Sears Roebuck & Company. The collection includes company records, sales records (including building projects as part of WWI and WWII war efforts), Aladdin Company advertising materials, order and construction information, and personal records of various members of the Sovereign family - including the court records of the William Sovereign v. Mary Sovereign divorce case.

Mold Alert: Virtually the entire collection suffered from mold and mildew infestations, and in some cases water and mold had damaged items beyond repair. Most, but not all, of the collection has also been fumigated. Researchers should use the collection with care.

The Aladdin Company records, approximately 350 cubic feet, were discovered in a very disorganized state in 1994 in an abandoned Bay City warehouse. V Only the films, architectural drawings and plans had remained largely intact and in their original filing order. Most of the company’s other records had become disorganized. A few records were found in file cabinets while others were in rolling vaults, the combinations for which had been lost. Boxes of material lay scattered in various locations, and much paper simply had come to rest on the floor.

Because of the condition the records were found in, most of the collection’s order has been imposed upon the records. The collection is generally organized according to record type or major functions within the company. In addition, some miscellaneous groups of material have been placed at the end of the collection.

The collection is organized into eleven series: Corporate, Financial, Advertising, Order Department, Construction, Shipping Bills, Suppliers Transit & Mill Sites, Sovereign Family, Photographs and Films, Books and Magazines, and Miscellaneous. Detailed description of each series is found below.

The collection includes incorporation papers, directors’ meeting minutes, contracts, stock records and other basic corporate information, office manuals and procedures, studies, financial statements, appraisals, inventories, payroll, catalogs, advertising material, publications, art work, floor and construction plans, orders, billing lists, invoices, mailing lists, price bills, real estate records, personal records of the Sovereign family (including court records), photographs, films, magazines, and books.

Researchers may also be interested in the Addition to the Aladdin Collection and separately cataloged publications by and about Aladdin kit homes in the Clarke Historical Library.

How to prove that your house is an Aladdin kit home:

Researchers trying to prove that they own an Aladdin kit home, should begin their research in the Aladdin Small Order Log Books, 1914-1981. If you know which year your house was built, begin with the volume/s for that year and search for the last name of the first owner. If you cannot find the owner’s name, that means a carpenter or a man who owned a construction company ordered the house for the owner. You will need to review each entry in that volume searching for any entries ordered in the same style and in the same town or city as your house. To determine the style, look at an Aladdin catalog for the year when your house was purchased. Many styles remained the same in the catalogs over decades. Once you locate your home in the Order Log Book, note the Customer Order Number. This important number will take you to a specific Customer Order Form somewhere in another subseries, Customer Order Forms, 1914-1918, Boxes 93-154. Each Customer Order Form provides detailed information about the home ordered including style, cost, options selected and any custom changes, name of person who ordered it, to whom it will be shipped, and date.

If you are uncertain as to which year your house was built, there are two possible ways to proceed. One is to take an estimated guess, based on style and family lore, and review some Aladdin catalogs from that period and hope you find a house that looks like yours. Then search in the Log Books within that time period for homes in the style and location that matches yours. Another approach is to check the chain of title from when you bought or inherited your house. That should list the earliest owner, verifying the date of construction, unless your house was not the first built on the property

Aladdin Small Order Log Books, 1914-1981, 3 cubic feet (in 3 boxes, #90-92):

Aladdin Small Order Log Books, 1914-1981, function as indexes of those who ordered Aladdin buildings, mostly houses, and direct researchers to specific Customer Order Forms, pages which describe each building in detail as ordered. The Small Order Books is a subseries of records in Series #4 Order Department. Immediately after the Log Books in Series 4 are the Customer Order Forms, 1914-1981, 62 cubic feet (in 62 boxes, #93-154).

Aladdin Small Order Log Books: Description:

The Log Books are both volumes and loose pages. The majority are volumes with information written by hand, in penmanship. Typed information is only found in loose pages which could be fed through a typewriter.

Log Books may have information for one or more years in them. Some Log Books overlap with other Log Books. From the 1950s forward there are always more than one volume/year.

Most log books simply have dates on the cover, others have titles written on, taped on, or printed on the covers such as Order Book, Orders, Record, Order Number Book, etc. Sometimes other forms of volumes were used by Aladdin agents, for example phone number and address books. In order to distinguish one volume from another when the Log Books have no title and there is more than one volume for the year, information such as color of cover or size is noted in the folder label, or Volume I or II was added to the folder label and on the log book’s first page in pencil by Archivist Marian Matyn in 2022 prior to their being digitized.

Aladdin Small Order Log Books: Organization:

Log Books are organized chronologically by year in the boxes. Information within each Log Book is organized chronologically by year ordered and then alphabetically only by first letter of the surname of the person who ordered an Aladdin building. The list of names is in the chronological order in which people purchased homes, so the order numbers are in numerical, although not consecutive, order within each alphabetical run.

Aladdin Small Order Log Books: Information Within them:

Each Log Book contains the following information for each order: date of order, name of a person who ordered the building or house, and Order Number. Additional information often includes house style, for example Pilgrim #2, and address of purchaser at the time of purchase. The address is usually the address to which the house kit was shipped by rail, which might be closer to the carpenter or construction company than the house site. Sometimes the mailing address of the owner is included. Miscellaneous notes may be included for such things order changes or cancellations. These notes were added after the order was recorded and are always handwritten, even on typed pages.

Aladdin Small Order Log Books: Physical Condition:

Like the rest of the collection, the series pages all suffer from some degree of mold and were fumigated. Researchers should use the original materials with care. The log books are in overall fair physical condition. Many volumes have damaged or loose spines, pages, and covers. The pages also suffer from acidification and dirtiness. Some pages have edge damage.

Series Description:

The first series of records has been labeled Corporate and Administrative (boxes 1-12). The Corporate records form the core legal records of the company. They include incorporation papers, directors’ meeting minutes, contracts, stock records and other basic corporate information.

Within the Administrative records are found material relating to the firm drawn together from various locations in the warehouse. It is almost certain that the material placed in this series was originally located in several distinct files. Office manuals and procedures found in this series do much to reveal how Aladdin’s records may have originally looked and various aspects concerning the structure of the company. Detailed folders exist for a number of government and industrial projects (see related plans in Construction series). Various self-studies, particularly the 1961 problem report, are helpful in giving an idea of how the firm viewed its challenges during its final years. Also of interest are the “Co-operator” files of 1913-1922. Sovereign family lore claims that the firm’s founders placed great emphasis on the comments of this Massachusetts customer and often gave much credit to her for helping them “think through” the business.

The information contained in the Financial series (boxes 13-34) provides a fairly complete picture, both in summary and detail, of the financial condition of the company. The Financial series records cover the year 1910-1984, thus they present a very complete chronological picture of the firm’s finances. The annual financial statements summarize the detailed information contained in the much more specific general journal and other financial books. These are followed by appraisals and inventories. Also included in this series is payroll and other employee-related information, although non-financial employee information is found in the Corporate and Administrative series.

For many researchers, the Advertising series (boxes 35-63) will prove particularly important. It has been divided into three sub series: Material re. Advertising and Its Effectiveness, Direct Mail, and Art Work and Floor Plans. Material re. Advertising and Its Effectiveness represented ads placed in magazines across the country that invariably invited readers to send in their name and address to receive a catalog. Aladdin was very proud of the fact that it relied exclusively on this device to develop its catalog mailing list. Much of the series is composed of “source reports,” which analyze the effectiveness of advertisements placed in various publications.

The heart of the company’s advertising was its annual catalog, which is found in the Direct Mail sub-series. Follow-up advertising material, which has been filed with the catalogs, was sent out according to a pre-determined schedule. Although the amount of the follow-up, and in some cases pre-catalog mailings, varied year by year, Aladdin was generally very aggressive in both announcing that the annual catalog was coming and in following up with notes telling customers about the “lost opportunities” and higher prices they would face unless they ordered their new home “immediately.”

Early in the company’s history, Aladdin published several periodicals extolling their products and relating stories about the “Aladdin family” (composed of anyone who purchased an Aladdin home). Incomplete runs of these publications, including the Wedge (1913-1916), the Aladdin Magazine (1916-1918), and Aladdin’s Weekly (1919-1920), are placed at the end of the Direct Mail sub-series.

Also found under the Direct Mail sub-series are the Industrial Catalogs published by Aladdin the 1920s and aimed at corporations interested in group purchases. Housed with these catalogs are also some additional sales material aimed at corporate purchases, price lists, and a few floor plans and other miscellaneous related material.

The Art Work and Floor Plans contains the art work, a few photographic images, and catalog floor plans that were prepared primarily for the annual sales catalog, although some art prepared for other advertising is also found here. Many additional photographs used in the annual catalog are found in the Photographic series.

The Order Department series (boxes 64-153) consists largely of three sub-series: Mailing Lists, Price Bills, and Orders.

Mailing Lists is an extensive group of three by five cards giving the addresses of catalog recipients. Found only for the final few years of the company’s existence, they nevertheless give some idea of the scope of the firm’s mailings.

Price Bills were assembled to calculate the actual cost of each product to the company. Pricing was obviously critical to the company’s success. To monitor costs, each house model received a price bill, which detailed the cost of all materials therein. These records were arranged in alphabetical order by model name. Several alphabets were created, some covering one year while others covered a more extended period of time. Also in this sub-series is pricing information about “specifications” and “options and allowances.” “Specifications” were colored sheets that listed the standard features in a particular house model. “Options,” better or additional items on an order, added to the price of the house. “Allowances” were omissions of standard features which lowered the price of the house.

Most price bills, specifications, options and allowances date from 1940 or later. Price lists are fairly complete beginning in 1934, with a few earlier ones. Unit price lists are generic lists of materials, apparently for use in pricing the various house models.

Orders are a voluminous sub-series that records information regarding each home purchased from the firm. Orders are accessible in two ways. Alphabetical indexes arranged by customer name give access to order forms taken from 1914 until the company’s closing. Beginning in 1949, there are also some indexes by order number.

The order forms themselves are arranged numerically by order number. For practical purposes, however, this represents a chronological arrangement, since orders were given the next available number as they were received. Order forms are the heart of the company’s sales records. They contain information regarding the name and mailing address of the purchases, the model purchases, specifications such as color of interior paint, stain, or roofing shingles, options or allowances the customer requested, and any special instructions or orders.

Researchers seeking information about specific houses should be aware that order forms do not usually include information about where the house was erected. For most of its history, Aladdin shipped houses to a railroad station specified by the purchaser. The purchaser was responsible for moving the material from the railroad station to the construction site. Thus the order form usually includes only the railroad station to which the house was shipped. The mailing address given is that of the purchaser at the time of purchase. Obviously, most individuals would not erect a new house at the same mailing address as where they were living prior to buying a new house. Thus the order forms, by themselves, cannot be used to confirm that a specific structure is, in fact, an Aladdin home.

Sample order forms and instructional notes are contained in the folders in the first order form box. Most order forms received with the collection were in bound, water damaged volumes, necessitating copying order forms and disposing of the originals. A few forms (probably no more than six) could not be separated from the covers and were lost. Even in these cases, it is likely that a record of each order survives in the order indexes.

The Construction series (boxes 154-235) is, like the Administrative series, an artificial gathering of architectural drawings and other construction-related items that likely once made up several files. Although it is composed of many sub-series, the three most significant components of Construction are the Plans for Catalog Models, Plans for Special Orders and Plans for Government and Industrial Projects.

Plans for Catalog Models were organized alphabetically by house model name. Most date from 1947 or later and the series is nearly comprehensive for the post-World War II period of the company. The sub-series consists largely of pencil and ink drawing on mylar (which could be copied onto diazo prints or blueprints and a few sepia prints). All print types are housed together. A full set of plans might include ten sheets or more. Often, numerous plans were done for a house model. Sometimes these changes represented updating of the model to meet changing consumer tastes while in other cases the alternates reflected modifications needed to accommodate various options such as brick veneer, “reverse” plan, or panelized construction. “Filing plans” were usually three plan sheets submitted to the local building inspector for approval. Filing plans are often included with other plans but sometimes are not well identified.

Plans for Special Orders represent orders from individuals sufficiently different from the company’s basic existing house models to require a unique set of drawings rather than an “options” list. Special plans seem to have begun ca. 1940, but most of those which survive date form the 1960s to 1982. The content of the Special Plans sub-series is essentially identical to that found in the Plans.

The Government and Industrial Projects sub-series includes projects for the U.S. government or its allies in World Wars I, II, and the Korean War, or for companies doing essential war work. Most of the projects date from the Second World War but plans exist for three large World War I projects: Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Fort Myer, Virginia; and the Austin Motor Company; Birmingham, England (housing). The Government and Industrial Projects sub-series includes drawings for many, but not all, of the projects listed in the Administrative series. The discrepancy between this sub-series and the Administrative series was created because, according to a former draftsman for Aladdin (1947-1954), the firm disposed of many drawings from the World War II era. Bunk houses and huts sold to industrial concerns are listed in the order logbooks as well as in the Government and Industrial sub-series.

Also housed in the Construction series is the Local Developments, Real Estates and Rentals sub-series. This sub-series primarily documents the real estate speculation of Otto Sovereign in the Bay City area. It includes records of the Bay City Homebuilders Company (ca. 1916-1937, scattered), and the Bay City Commercial Reality Company (ca. 1923-1942), the Lenox Park subdivision (1916-1942), and other real estate firms.

Also found in the Construction series are Suppliers’ Invoices sub-series. These were sampled and include records from 1957-1958 (incomplete), 1965, 1974-1975 (1974 incomplete), and 1980-1981. Discarded were the invoices from 1966-1974, 1976-1979. No invoices dated before 1957-1958 were received.

The Shipping Bills series contains shipping bills, which were standard lists of materials in each house model. A copy was sent to the customer with the house shipment. These were continuously updated to reflect modifications in construction and are usually dated. Shipping Bills series covers the years 1939-1982. They are arranged in alphabetical order by house model name. A random sample of special order shipping bills was retained with the remainder discarded.

The Suppliers, Transit and Mill Sites series is largely concerned with sources of materials and shipping houses to customers. There is also some correspondence concerning potential mill sites and suppliers.

The Sovereign Family series consists primarily of non-Aladdin business records, correspondence, litigation and information regarding the Saginaw Bay Yacht Club. Business records found in this series primarily document the real estate speculation of Otto Sovereign in the Bay City area. It includes records of the Bay City Homebuilders Company (ca. 1916-1937, scattered), the Bay City Commercial Realty Company (ca. 1923-1942), the Lenox Park subdivision (1916-2942) and other real estate firms.

The correspondence is predominately to and from William J. Sovereign, covering the period 1944-1963. It includes personal material, business correspondence other than Aladdin, and information regarding charitable activities. Also found in the series is the court record of Sovereign family litigation in the case of William F. Sovereign vs. Mary K. Sovereign. Finally there is documentation regarding the Bay City Yacht Club (now the Saginaw Bay Yacht Club). Both William J. and Otto E. Sovereign were prominent members of the club.

The Photographs and Films series primarily includes photographs of Aladdin house models, government and industrial buildings, the Aladdin mill and related activities, as well as photographs of completed houses (and some construction series) sent in by owners. Likewise, the films document the Aladdin building method and the 1949 Wonder House. There are also photographs of Aladdin Company functions and Sovereign family members. Much of this material compliments information found in the Advertising series.

Books and Magazines series includes competitors’ catalogs: Hodgson Houses, 1918 and 1933; Bennett Homes, 1928; Sears Roebuck Millwork [c.1922]; and Gunnison [U.S. Steel] Homes, 1954. This series also includes a book and several articles about readi-cut and prefabricated housing.

There are an approximately 80 linear feet of additional Aladdin materials that are unprocessed and awaiting fumigation as of July 8, 2010.