Except for one small box of abstracts, photos and documents, all the material in this collection takes the form of architectural drawings. Most of these drawings are of single family residences and come in sets that include some or all of the following: elevations, floor plans and drawings of details such as heating and electrical systems, garages, kitchen cabinets and plot plans. The drawings span the years of the late 1930s to the late 1960s but the heaviest concentration is from the decade between 1955 and 1965. The predominant and typically only method the company used to identify these homes was a model name including, for example, “The Ashton,” “The Carlsburg” and “The Tupper.” Patrons searching for a home at a particular address or one built or owned by a particular individual will have more difficulty than those who know a model name to search for. Very few of the drawings are identified with an address though patrons should search the finding aid for a street name to find those that are. It is slightly more common to find drawings associated with an owner identified by surname or, less often, full name. Again the finding aid should be searched by surname to locate these.

Patrons not searching for a particular home, but having a broader interest in such topics as architecture, the construction of local homes, the development of local neighborhoods, or the work of this local business will find the collection rich in material but relatively narrow in scope. A researcher studying the post World War II building boom in Grand Rapids, for example, might find this collection only one of several resources necessary to consult since it contains many drawings of homes but little in the way of other documentation.

Users of this collection should be aware that there is a high degree of interrelatedness amongst the different models. Those interested in slight variations should explore other models, especially those with similar model names.

One small box of material other than drawings includes two photos of homes, one small folder of business documents and a set of abstracts. Among the business records is a job schedule for March 5, 1965, that would be useful in connecting a customer surname to a house model name and an address for a couple dozen Albert homes. The other business records, listed in the contents section, would provide a glimpse of insight into the Alberts business operations. The abstracts are for property in Paris Road Uplands, Paris Park No. 2 and Maple Row Plat.