By Frank Passic
FRANK E. DEAN
With the recent sale/return of the nearly 100-year-old Bellemont Manor by Albion College in October back to members of the Dean family, we are reminded of the heritage this family-clan has had in Albion, and its association with Albion College. We wish Annabelle Dean and her group great success as they restore this architectural masterpiece into the grandeur and prominence it once had for many years for events, weddings, celebrations, and gatherings. Stay tuned.
One of Albion’s prominent 20th century architects who designed numerous institutional buildings in town was Frank E. Dean (1910-1981). He was a son of George E. and Belle (Clark) Dean, the original owners of Bellemont Manor. Frank graduated from Albion High School in 1927, and from Albion College in 1931. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a degree in architectural design in 1933.
Returning to Albion following his graduation in 1933, Frank’s first local project was the designing of our City Hall at 112 W. Cass St. which he began that year. Construction began on November 23, 1933 and after over two years of work, City Hall was opened and dedicated in May, 1936.
Frank’s most prominent architectural project in town however was Goodrich Chapel, dedicated in 1958. Frank had spent nearly five years designing the complex, including the adjoining First United Methodist Church Wesley Chapel and educational wing, assisted by associate architects from the firm of Trautwein & Howard of Philadelphia, PA. This complex remains a showpiece landmark of Albion even today. The steeple can be seen for miles around. Furthermore, Frank E. Dean designed the Stockwell Library, Seaton Hall, and Baldwin Hall—all at Albion College.
Dean was not limited to public or Albion College buildings however. He was the architect behind such projects as the Locust Lane and Haven Lane developments, and homes in the Sheridan Heights, River’s Bend areas, and Colfax Street areas. Dean would design individual homes, then hired contractors and skilled laborers to build them. Across Michigan, he designed homes in Battle Creek, Bay View, Grand Rapids, and even Nantucket Island out east. His business office was located upstairs at 219 ½ S. Superior St. Furthermore, Frank purchased and owned the Parker Inn Hotel on E. Michigan Avenue for many years.
He was also a military veteran. During World War II Frank served as a Commander in the U.S. Navy and afterwards, and in 1946 was placed in charge of the Battle Creek Naval Ready Reserve unit.
Frank served on the board of directors of the family business, Union Steel Products, and was a director of the Grand Rapids Bookcase Company in Hastings. Frank was a member of several clubs and organizations, including the Albion Rotary Club, the First United Methodist Church, the board of directors at Starr Commonwealth for Boys, the Albion Planning Commission, the American Society of Architects, the Michigan Society of Architects, and the Sigma Chi Fraternity.
He was married to Jean DeVotie (1906-2006) in 1942. At the time of his death at age 70 on February 9, 1981, he was survived by his wife and two children, Frank Jr., and Annabelle; two grandchildren and a sister. His cremains were interred in the Dean family section in Block 116 in Riverside Cemetery.
From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of Frank E. Dean, and an original postcard photo of Albion City Hall, Frank’s first architectural creation here in Albion. How many of our readers remember Frank E. Dean?
