Author, photographer, and architectural historian Dale A. Carlson presents the story of Frederick D. Madison (1888–1969), a key figure in shaping the architectural character of metro Detroit. Best known for the Washington Square Building and numerous projects in and around Royal Oak from the 1920s through the 1960s, Madison’s work spans commercial, civic, and educational design. Carlson will delve into Madison’s early life in Detroit, his tenure with Baxter, O’Dell & Halpin, and his influential role in designing Royal Oak’s mid-century schools—highlighting familiar landmarks like Dondero High School, the Genesee County Courthouse, and Quarton School in Birmingham.
Author, photographer and architectural historian Dale A. Carlson was born and raised along the northeastern shores of Lake Michigan where, as an adolescent, he developed a fascination with the city of Detroit. Throughout the 1990s Mr. Carlson studied art, journalism and graphic design at four Michigan colleges including Michigan State University, while simultaneously migrating closer and closer to the Motor City. In 2004 he made southeast Oakland County his permanent home, and in 2019 he earned an associate degree in photographic technology from Oakland Community College. He serves on the City of Berkley’s Historical Committee and is the author of Corrado Parducci: A Field Guide to Detroit’s Architectural Sculptor, Kahn’s Detroit: A Field Guide to Albert Kahn Designs of the Metro Area and Stained Glass New Orleans: A Field Guide. Mr. Carlson lectures regularly on the architectural history of Detroit and the state of Michigan, for a variety of public libraries, historical societies and retirement living facilities. Currently he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in art history at Wayne State University and expects to graduate in December of this year. He credits his late wife, Carolin Venegas Jones, whom he married in 2014, for inspiring his ventures into publishing and photography.
OTHER DETROIT ARCHITECTS LECTURES
Albert Kahn: Unintended Consequences | Saturday, November 15
William E. Kapp: Architect of the Detroit Historical Museum | Saturday, January 17