Dahl-Stedman Co. Builders Records, 1900-1927

Gift of James R. Carr, Dec., 2010.

TheDahl-Stedman Co. Builders Records are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

TheDahl-Stedman Co. Builders Records are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.

Dahl-Stedman Co. Builders Records, The Newberry Library, Chicago.

Emily Masghati, 2015.

Chicago-based building contractor.

The Dahl-Stedman Co. Builders was founded in 1916 by George V. Dahl, formerly of George A. Fuller Co., and Elmore Stedman. It was located on La Salle and Madison Street in Chicago and later moved to Addison Park, IL. Dahl-Stedman Co. Builders constructed many buildings in Chicago including the Buckingham Fountain, St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church, Winnetka Congregational church, the Lumbar Exchange Building, Marquette Cement Co. Building, and Chicago Racquet Club. The company also constructed campus buildings for the Illinois Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, and University of Wisconsin-Madison, and held a contract with Ann Arbor Education Board in Michigan.

George V. Dahl served as president of Dahl-Stedman Co. from 1916-1948. He was succeeded by his brother-in-law William P. Carr who previously served as project director for 31 years. From 1939 to 1950, Carr worked with notable architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Dahl-Stedman Co. Builders was active through the 1960s.

Small collection spanning from 1900-1927 consists of two photo albums of Dahl-Stedman Co. Builders construction projects, a construction costs manuscript, and three published volumes regarding brick construction.

The photo albums contain images taken by Chicago Architectural Photographing in the 1920s of building construction projects. Included are construction images of the Lumber Exchange Building, Marquette Cement Co., Chicago Racquet Club, St. Vincent Infant Asylum, Baskin Store, as well as schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan. William P. Carr supervised all building projects represented in both photo albums.

George V. Dahl prepared the construction cost manuscript ca. 1900-1920 while he was working at the Chicago office of George A. Fuller Co. of New York. The Dahl-Stedman firm used this manuscript to estimate construction costs for many years. It contains construction statistics and cost summaries for a number of buildings including the Chicago and Northwestern Depot, Detroit Terminal, Kansas City Terminal, and Blackstone Hotel.

The American Face Brick Association in Chicago authored two of the three published volumes, The Home of Beauty, 1922, and A Manual of Face Brick Construction, 1920. The Common Brick Manufacturers’ Association of America in Cleveland published Brick, How to Build and Estimate, 1926.

Materials arranged by type.

• NamesDahl-Stedman Co. Builders.
• Subject
  • Bricklaying -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
  • Business
  • Chicago
  • Clubs -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Photographs
  • Commercial buildings -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Photographs
  • Industrial buildings -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Photographs
  • Manuscripts, American
  • Orphanages -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Photographs
  • Photographs
  • Schools -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor -- Photographs