USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. III > Part 54
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JAMES BURGESS BOOK, JR. There are writers who have affirmed that the sons of rich men, lacking the stimulus of necessity and of imperative demand for labor, seldom reach the heights in commercial, indus- trial or financial circles to which their fathers have attained. If this be true on the whole, there are notable exceptions which prove the rule, and one such example is found in James Burgess Book, Jr., who in the development of the estate of which he has charge has displayed notable initiative, sagacity, discernment and enterprise, making him a dynamic force in the business circles of Detroit, his native city. He was born on the 16th of June, 1890, of the marriage of Dr. James Burgess and Clotilde (Palms) Book. His father was one of the most virile and versatile men known to Detroit in the days just previous to the big boom and is mentioned at length elsewhere in this work.
The son pursued his early education in the public schools and afterward attended the Detroit University School, while to his technical training he added the valuable knowledge that is acquired through extensive travel. He went to Europe, visiting various sections of the country, and throughout his foreign trip he had in mind a well thought-out plan, the details of which he was constantly working out as he studied the architecture of buildings and the operations of large industrial concerns on the European continent. He had refrained from continuing his education in a university training that he might remain at home and assist his father in vast commercial and real estate interests which had been acquired by his father and his maternal grandfather, a share of the latter's hold- ings having come as a legacy to his mother. He had taken up this work when still a youth in his teens and by reason of his study of business conditions and his thorough training under his father's direction he was well qualified upon the death of his father to step in and continue the management of the im- portant business interests left to him and greatly to increase these enterprises and extend the scope of the business connections of the estate. One of his early devised plans was the erection of a combined office and shop building, known as the Book building, at the corner of Washington boulevard and Grand River avenue. The accomplishment of his purpose resulted in the erection of the largest building of the kind in the world, built as a monument to his father. The main section of the building, completed in 1918, is thirteen stories in height. It includes eighteen large stores on the first floor, with forty- three shops on the second and third floors and sixteen hundred offices on the remaining floors. The construe- tion of the tower section was delayed by war condi- tions but when completed will bring the building to the corner of Grand River avenue. This mammoth struc- ture is the outcome of the genius of J. B. Book, Jr., who conceived the idea of developing Washington boulevard from a little used side street to the ex- clusive retail district of the city and one of the finest thoroughfares of the world. With this in view the Book estate secured a great percentage of the prop- erty. Mr. Book made the general plans for the build- ing, having it continually in his mind during his eastern and European travels, where he studied other large edifices and took note on various important features, obtaining a motif here and there which he turned over to his architect, who worked it out in detail until the completed structure is one of mar- velous grace and beauty and of notable serviceableness.
James Burgess Book, Jr., is a trustee of the Book Estate, which comprises not only the inheritance left by the father but also the mother's share in the orig- inal Palms Estate and is one of the largest, espe- cially in its downtown holdings, of any estate in Detroit. To facilitate and strengthen the enormous financial dealings of the family a company has been
JAMES B. BOOK, JR.
Vol. I11-30
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incorporated under the laws of the state of Michigan, known as The Development Corporation of Detroit, which is the foremost concern of the kind ever organ- ized in Michigan, with J. B. Book, Jr., as president; Herbert V. Book, vice president; and Frank P. Book as secretary and treasurer.
The erection and management of such a structure as the Book building would be sufficient to engage the full executive ability and attention of the average business man and yet J. B. Book has become interested in various other concerns, being president of the Palms-Book Land Company, a director of the First and Old Detroit National Bank, a director of the Anderson Electric Car Company, a director of the Peltier Insurance Company and numerous other im- portant and extensive corporations, which include commercial, real estate, building, industrial and mining interests.
On the 3d of November, 1910, occurred the marriage of James Burgess Book, Jr., and Miss Sara Peck, daughter of Mrs. E. I. Peck of Saginaw, Michigan. Their marriage was celebrated in London, England, and they have become the parents of three children: J. B. Book (III), born in Detroit April 5, 1912, and now attending the University School; Edward Irving, born June 23, 1914; and Sally Peck, born February 7, 1920.
Mr. Book enlisted for service in the World war, joining a Michigan regiment which was attached to the aviation section of the government station at Dayton, Ohio. There he was made a lieutenant and was attached to the experimental field at Dayton throughout the period of the war, being mustered out in the latter part of April, 1919. His membership extends to the leading clubs of Detroit, including the Country, Detroit, Detroit Athletic, Grosse Pointe Riding & Hunting, Lochmoor Country and Bankers Clubs, also to the Bankers Association and the Board of Commerce. While he has won for himself a notable place in the business world, the subjective and objec- tive forces of his life are well balanced. He has made a close study of conditions of society, his pur- pose being to serve his fellowmen wherever opportu- nity has offered, and looking ever to the welfare and benefit of his native city he has made most valuable contributions to its improvement, assisting Detroit to take on those metropolitan conditions which have won it the classification of the most rapidly growing city of the country.
ALBERT A. ALBRECHT, president of the Albert A. Albrecht Company, has often been referred to as "dean of the builders of Detroit" and appropriately, too, as it is nearly fifty years since he first became connected with the building business in this city, during which time the importance, extent and general high character of the construction work represented by his activities further merits the distinction and honor thus conferred.
Albert A. Albrecht was born in Detroit, July 5, 1853, a son of William and Caroline Albrecht, and was reared in the section of the city now known as East Elizabeth street. He attended the public schools, finishing his education at the Bishop Union school, the erection of which structure he witnessed. To further prepare for a business career he attended the old Bryant & Stratton Business College and when about eighteen years of age began keeping books for his father, who had been a builder and contractor of Detroit since 1857. Young Albrecht showed ready adaptation to the business and before long his father added the son's name to the firm, making it William Albrecht & Son, merely, however, as a tribute to the young man's ability. When but twenty-two years old Albert A. Albrecht had charge of the building of the old public library on Farmer and Gratiot streets, which structure he finished to the roof. From the fall of 1875 to the fall of 1877, Mr. Albrecht was in charge of the building of the state house of cor- rection at Ionia, which was an immense contract in those days. The nation-wide financial depression of that period, which affected all lines of business, re- sulted in the failure of every sub-contractor on the job, requiring the firm to complete the building itself. This work fell to Mr. Albrecht and he carried it through to completion-quite an achievement for one of his age. In the fall of 1877 Mr. Albrecht took over the business and conducted it as an individual under the name of Albert A. Albrecht until January 10, 1906, when it was incorporated as the Albert A. Albrecht Company, with Mr. Albrecht as the president and general manager. At the corner of Congress and Cass streets Albert A. Albrecht built for the Me- Millans what was the first six-story building in the city. He also erected the first high-class modern steel construction building in Detroit-the Union Trust building. The Masonic Temple was also built by him and it is interesting to add that in those days he kept his time book himself and carried it in his pocket. In fact in the early career of Mr. Albrecht the building business was all conducted on a vastly different plan from the present-day highly systema- tized methods prevailing in an organization like the Albert A. Albrecht Company. The immense volume of business of this company has for a number of years made it the foremost one in the building industry in Detroit. Among the structures that have been built by the Albrecht interests may be mentioned the Union Trust Company 's building, the Penobscot, the Masonic Temple, the Washington Arcade, the Stevens block, the Morgan & Wright plant, the Murphy power plant, Edison power houses Nos. 1 and 2, the Gas Office building, the Lincoln motor plant, the Henry Ford Hospital, the Detroit Pressed Steel plant, the C. R. Wilson Body Company's plant, the Peninsular State Bank, the Detroit Trust Company's building, the Telegraph building, the Detroit Fire & Marine In- surance building, the Detroit Seamless Tube Com-
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pany's plant, the Buhl Sons Company's building, the plant of the Detroit Copper & Brass Company, the Edison office building, the plant of the Timken-De- troit Axle Company, the Strellinger building, St. Paul's cathedral, the Madison theatre, the Barstow and Lincoln schools, Harper and Grace Hospitals, together with many of the fine residences of the city, including those of D. M. Ferry, W. P. Stephens, Lem Bowen and W. T. Woodruff. They have also been the builders of the Detroit Opera House and the Palmer Fountain, as well as numerous warehouses and service stations throughout the city. The officers of the Albert A. Albrecht Company are: Albert A. Albrecht, president; W. Ellington, vice president; Herman Claflin, sec- retary; and Walter G. Albrecht, treasurer. It has been the policy of the company to recruit its officials and department heads from the ranks of its faith- ful employes, with the result that it has built up a most capable and efficient organization, a distinct leader in its line.
Albert A. Albrecht was married in Detroit to Miss Louise M. Prompe, who passed away in 1906, leaving three children: Walter G. and Edward L., who are connected with the Albert A. Albrecht Company; and Mrs. Clara Pfeiffer.
Mr. Albrecht was one of the founders of the Build- ers Association of Detroit. He was chairman of the commission that revised the building code. He is also a member of the Detroit Board of Commerce and gives hearty allegiance to its various plans and measures for the city 's development and improvement. He is a director of the Wayne County & Home Sav- ings Bank. He enjoys fishing and other outdoor in- terests and he has membership in the Detroit Club, the Detroit Athletic Club, the Harmonie Club and the Rushmere Club. His entire life, covering sixty-seven years, has been passed in Detroit and throughout the city be is spoken of in terms of the highest respect. His life has been honorable in its purposes, far-reach- ing and beneficial in its effects and has become an integral part of the annals of Detroit. He has through merit and ability forged constantly to the front in his business and has erected more buildings than any other man in the city.
EDWIN LODGE, M. D. Prominent in both profes- sional and business circles of Detroit, the late Dr. Edwin Lodge represented a high type of American citizenship. He was a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, born June 5, 1849, a son of Edwin Albert and Emma (Kis- sane) Lodge. In 1859, when a lad of ten years, he came with his parents to Detroit and in the acquire- ment of his early education attended the public schools of this city, while subsequently he became a student in the University of Michigan. As further preparation for his chosen profession he then matriculated in the New York Homeopathic College, from which institu- tion he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1871. The same year he began practice in Detroit
but later removed to Ionia, Michigan, where he remained for a brief period and next made his way to San Francisco, California, there following his pro- fession during the years 1874 and 1875. He then re- turned to Detroit and for forty-five years continued an active and successful representative of the medical profession here, long occupying a position among the most able physicians and surgeons of the city. He was for many years surgeon to Grace Hospital.
Dr. Lodge did not confine his attention to pro- fessional activity but also manifested exceptional ability as a business man. On the death of his father- in-law, Joseph H. Berry, he took charge of the latter's estate, which at that time was the largest ever pro- bated in Wayne county. The heavy responsibilities devolving upon him in this connection caused Dr. Lodge to relinquish much of his practice in order that he might devote his attention to business interests. He soon became recognized as a man of large affairs in business circles and at the time of his demise was serving as secretary of the Berry Brothers Varnish Company, president of the Dwight Lumber Company, vice president of the O. & W. Thum Company of Grand Rapids, vice president of the Charcoal Iron Company of America, president of the Welded Steel Barrel Cor- poration and president of the Sanilac Stock Farm Company, while a number of other enterprises of which he was a director also felt the stimulus of his co- operation and splendid executive ability.
On the 12th of December, 1899, Dr. Lodge was united in marriage to Miss Alice Dwight Berry, a daughter of Joseph H. and Charlotte (Dwight) Berry, mentioned elsewhere in this work. Dr. and Mrs. Lodge became parents of three children: Edwin Albert, who died in 1904, aged two and one-half years; Joseph Berry and Adelaide Dwight.
Politically Dr. Lodge was a republican but never an office seeker. He was a worthy exemplar of the teachings of the Masonic fraternity, to which he be- longed, served as trustee of Grosse Pointe Farms and in the days of the Old Detroit Light Guard was a member of that organization. His life was one of intense activity and usefulness until within a few months of his demise, when his health became im- paired, and he passed away on the 3d of July, 1920. He had made for himself an enviable place in busi- ness as well as professional circles and his personal qualities had won him the warm friendship of many, so that his death was deeply regretted by those who knew him.
HARRY BULLEN. When recognition is taken of the fact that the present general superintendent of the Detroit United Railway initiated his service in connection with urhan transportation as driver on a horse-car street railway in the city of Toronto, Canada, there is offered distinctive evidence of his success- winning powers. Through able and effective service Harry Bullen won advancement through various
DR. EDWIN LODGE
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grades in street railway affairs, and in his present important and exacting executive office he has shown the discrimination and progressive policies which make for efficiency of service in this important public utility, the while he has gained secure place in popular con- fidence and esteem in the city that has represented his home since the year 1888.
Mr. Bullen was born in Norfolk, England, on the 31st of May, 1864, and is a son of Miles and Ellen (Clarke) Bullen, both likewise natives of Norfolk, where they were reared and educated and where they continued to reside until 1872, when they came to America and established their home in the city of Toronto, Canada. There the father followed the vo- cation for which he had fitted himself, that of station- ary engineer, and there he continued to reside until 1912, when he and his wife came to Detroit, where they passed the remainder of their lives, Mr. Bullen having entered into eternal rest in 1916, at the patriarchal age of ninety-one years, his wife having died in the same year, at the age of eighty years. Of their children the eldest is William, who still resides in Ontario, Canada; James is a resident of St. Clair, Michigan; John is foreman iu the service of the street railway company in the city of Toronto, Canada; Robert is a prosperous farmer near Bear Lake, Manistee county, Michigan; and Harry, of this review, was the fourth in order of birth.
Harry Bullen was a lad of eight years when the family home was established in Toronto, and there his educational advantages included those of the high school. After leaving school he was employed at farm work until 1881, when he became driver on a horse drawn street car in the city of Toronto. Later his mechanical skill led to his being retained in connection with construction work by the Toronto Street Railway Company, in the employ of which he continued six years. In 1888 Mr. Bullen came to Detroit and took the work of tracklayer on the local street car lines, and here he has won through his own ability and efficient service a gradual advancement through all grades, until he has become general superintendent of the extensive and involved system of the Detroit United Railway, the metropolitan service of which he has maintained at high standard, though he has had many perplexing conditions to meet and problems to solve. He has become an authority in connection with electric street railway operation, and his service in Detroit has included his occupancy in turn of the positions of dispatcher, division superintendent, assistant general superintendent, and finally general superintendent of the Detroit United Railways, with which he has held his present executive office since January 1, 1904. He has played a large part in the practical development and expansion of the street railway system of the Michigan metropolis, and his record in this connection has gained him high reputa- tion. He is an active member of the Central Electric Railway Association, the American Electric Railway
Association, the Detroit Board of Commerce, and the Noontide Club of Detroit, besides which he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, in which his ancient-craft membership is in Union Lodge, No. 32, and his maxi- mum affiliation is with Detroit Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templars. He is independent in politics and he and his wife hold membership in the Christian Science church.
At Toronto, Canada, on the 25th of August, 1884, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Bullen to Miss Charlotte E. MeClellan, daughter of William Me- Clellan, a prominent citizen of Belle Ewart, Ontario. Mr. and Mrs. Bullen have three children: Eva R. is the wife of Arthur P. Bowen, a newspaper man, who is connected with the Toronto Evening Telegram. Mrs. Bowen was born in Toronto but was reared and educated in Detroit, where she remained until she married and returned to her native Canadian city; Ada F. is the wife of John C. Clarke of Farmington, Michigan, and they have one child, Helen Jean. Mrs. Clarke likewise is a native of Toronto but was reared and educated in Detroit, as was also the youngest daughter, Miss Ella C., who remains at the parental home and who was a child when the family home was established in Detroit.
MARTIN G. BORGMAN, well known in real estate circles, is the president of the Borgman-Wright Homes Corporation. He was born in Detroit, May 18, 1863, and is a son of Charles H. and Pauline (Perlier) Borgman, The father was of European birth but the mother was born in Buffalo, New York. Charles H. Borgman was only two years of age when brought by his parents to America, the family home being established in Ohio, whence a removal was afterward made to Michigan, where Charles H. Borgman was reared. In later life he engaged in the real estate business, becoming a prominent figure in that field long prior to his death. Both he and his wife passed away in Detroit. In their family were ten children, six of whom are living: Charles E., a resident of New York city; Henry P. and Frederick L., both of Detroit; Mrs. Albert Adams of Los Angeles, Cali- fornia; and Anna and Martin G., both of Detroit.
Martin G. Borgman supplemented his public school training by study in the German-American Seminary of Detroit and in early manhood was connected with lake transportation interests for a number of years. From 1890 to 1895 he served as traffic manager of the Crescent Transportation Company and since the latter date has largely given his attention to activity in the real estate field, although he was treasurer from 1900 until 1904 of the Wabash Portland Cement Com- pany and from 1904 until 1911 secretary and treasurer of the Quincy Gas, Electric & Heating Company. He is the secretary, treasurer and one of the directors of the Precision Instrument Company. His operations in the real estate field were carried on for a time as the secretary of the Parkhill Realty Company and
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he also became president of the Canadian Alkali Com- pany, Ltd., of Sandwich, Ontario. He is now concen- trating his efforts and attention wholly upon his real estate interests, being at the head of the Borgman- Wright Homes Corporation as its president. He has made a close study of the situation in real estate fields and his operations have been carefully conducted, bringing him substantial returns.
On the 14th of March, 1889, Mr. Borgman was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Harvey of Romeo, Michigan, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Harvey. They have two children: Albert S., born in Detroit in 1890, became a student in the University of Mich- igan at Ann Arbor, graduating in 1910, and afterward entered the Graduate School of Harvard University, where he won his Ph. D. degree with the class of 1919. He is now a member of the faculty of the New York University and during the World war was a reserve in the navy with the rank of ensign; Frances, born in Detroit in 1897, is the wife of T. S. P. Griffin, and the mother of one child, Perry Borgman Griffin, born September 27, 1919.
The military experience of Martin G. Borgman was gained as captain of Company F, Fourth Regiment of Michigan National Guard, from 1886 until 1893, and and as major from 1893 until 1895. His religious faith is that of the Episcopal church and his political belief that of the republican party. He is connected with the Detroit Board of Commerce and cooperates heartily in the work of that organization for the development and upbuilding of the city. He is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Palestine Lodge and to Peninsular Chapter, R. A. M., and he is a popular representative of the Detroit, Detroit Athletic and Detroit Boat Clubs.
HENRY GRAY SHERRARD was one of the eminent educators connected with the Detroit schools. He was born at Centralia, Illinois, August 6, 1861, a son of Thomas and Valeria (Gray) Sherrard. The father was a Presbyterian minister and a noted linguist, was a native of County Antrim, Ireland, and as a boy came to the United States with his mother. He re- moved from Centralia, Illinois, to Brooklyn, Michigan, when his son, Henry G., was but three years of age and died when the latter was a youth of thirteen, after which the family went to Tecumseh, Michigan. The mother was a native of the state of New York and passed away in 1892.
Henry Gray Sherrard was the eldest of a family of six children and had the advantage of much early and wise training from his highly educated father, particularly along classical lines, and it was at that time that the love of the old languages and kindred subjects took root in the young man's mind. He also completed his preparation for college under an- other remarkable teacher, Z. C. Spencer, and in 1878 entered the University of Michigan as a freshman and was graduated from that institution in 1882 with
the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He won scholarship in the Phi Beta Kappa and the Master of Arts degree was later conferred upon him. From 1882 until 1899 he was instructor in Greek and Latin in the Detroit Central high school and in the latter year he joined F. L. Bliss in founding the Detroit University School, of which he was assistant principal until 1901, when his health failed.
It was on the 24th of June, 1891, that Mt. Sherrard was united in marriage to Miss Charlotte Fiske Berry, daughter of Joseph H. Berry, and they became the parents of three children: Joseph Berry, an attorney at Detroit; Valeria, the wife of Alfred V. Coleman of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the mother of one son, Henry Bannen Coleman; and Laura Dwight, who is a graduate of Miss Liggett's School of Detroit and is now attending Wellesley College. The education of his children was one of the particular delights of the life of Henry G. Sherrard. One who wrote of him said: "The last eight years of his life is a story of heroic patience." He passed away at Grosse Pointe, Michigan, November 13, 1909. While con- fined to his bed through many long, weary months he nevertheless accomplished numerous things and per- formed many of the most splendid deeds, which made his life one of great usefulness and beauty in the world.
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