Healy
University of Michigan-Flint
Frances Willson Thompson Library
Genesee Historical Collections Center
| Name of the collection: | GERALD F. HEALY PAPERS |
| Inclusive years: | 1911-1987 |
| Quantity: | 12 linear feet and 400 photographs |
| Acquisition: | This collection was donated to the Genesee Historical Collections Center in May and October 1988 by donors no. 120 and 183. |
| Access: | There are no restrictions on access to this collection. |
| Photographs: | Photographs are kept separately from the papers in the collection. |
| Processed by: | Paul Gifford, October 1988. |
BIOGRAPHY
Gerald Francis Healy was born October 14, 1893, in Watertown, New York. After graduation from high school in 1911, he attended Cornell University on a scholarship. He received a civil engineering degree in 1915 and then worked for the New York State Highway Department. From 1917 to 1919, Healy served as first lieutenant and captain in the 303rd Engineers, 78th Division, in France (researchers interested in this aspect of his life would be well advised to consult his self-published World War I Diary: 1917-1919). Following military service, he worked in Washington as Field Representative in the Purchase, Storage, and Traffic Division, Office of the Director of Purchase and Storage, War Department.
A friend from his high school days, Albert Kelly, had moved to Flint, where he had begun a successful real estate company. The local economy was booming, and housing was scarce. Kelly's enterprise concerned itself with building houses; and it, too, was booming. Kelly invited Healy to Flint and offered him the position of vice president in charge of real estate, and Healy accepted. On January 2, 1920, Healy arrived in Flint.
During the years with Kelly, Healy's reputation increased, and he became a highly sought-after speaker at realtors' conventions. By 1924 he had begun to concentrate on commercial sales and leases. In 1925 Matthew Carey, a Cornell classmate with a background as a business statistician, came to work for the G. A. Kelly Company as treasurer.
In 1925 Healy and Carey left Kelly to form a partnership in a new realty company. Healy & Carey handled only commercial and industrial real estate, a specialization largely unknown at the time. Although they prospered during the remainder of the decade, the Depression was hard on their business. The partnership folded in 1936.
Healy formed a new partnership with Robert Gerholz in 1938. Gerholz was a home builder and wanted to develop the Bassett Park area. Healy's responsibility was to acquire land and arrange sales and financing, although he continued his commercial real estate activity. By 1945 the firm had constructed 1600-1700 houses, most in the northwest quadrant of Flint. Healy and Gerholz dissolved their partnership in order to profit from the sale of the company's assets.
From 1945 to 1987 Healy owned and operated the Healy Realty Company, handling only commercial and industrial properties. The company was, for many years, essentially a one-man operation, although Healy employed a secretary and, until the 1970s, a salesman. Healy's friendship with Arthur E. Summerfield, Sr., Flint's automobile dealer and Postmaster General in the Eisenhower administration, resulted in Healy's serving temporarily as Assistant Postmaster General for three months in 1953.
He found time to serve as chairman of the clubs and organizations division of the fundraising campaign for Flint College and Cultural Development, about 1959. During the last years of his life, Healy acted as a consultant to the Flint Downtown Development Authority. In this capacity he arranged the purchase of property on Saginaw Street for redevelopment.
Healy died in February, 1988, in Flint.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The bulk of the Gerald F. Healy Papers documents his activity as a Flint realtor, specializing in commercial and industrial real estate. They provide a wealth of data on Flint properties and buildings, especially in the downtown area. The time span covered by these files---1924 to 1987---is broad enough to allow the study of both the rise of downtown commerce in the 1920s and its decline in the late 1950s and 1960s.
The largest series in this collection, the property files, is arranged by address and correspondent. Each file documents the sale or lease of a particular parcel and typically includes incoming and outgoing correspondence with buyers, sellers, and other realtors; legal documents, including listings, options, closing agreements, and leases; blueprint plans of the property and building appraisals; and market and assessment summaries. Information contained in these files thus is valuable in different ways. Besides their primary purpose as documentation of a sale, the files can provide information useful both to preservationists interested in the design of a particular building and to researchers interested either in a particular business or in commerce in Flint generally. Although this series contain material from the entire time span, most material dates from about 1955 to the early 1980s. Access is by street and number.
The property data sheets series is primarily material from the 1920s. Each sheet covers a particular property, regardless of whether or not it was being sold, with standard elements: name of owner, dimensions, assessed valuation, and a sketch plan. Many of these sheets also contain newspaper clippings concerning the business at that address, reports of recent sales, and photographs. Residential as well as industrial and commercial properties are included. The purpose of the sheets was to provide Healy with enough data so that he could establish a market price for a given parcel.
Topical files date from 1958 to 1987. They contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, and publicity brochures, concerning both general topics (for example, percentage leases and mobile home parks) which affected the Flint real estate market and specific individuals, corporations, and organizations with which Healy had dealings.
Healy's friendship with Flint automobile dealer and Republican Party fundraiser Arthur E. Summerfield, Postmaster General during the Eisenhower administration, is not well documented in this collection, but this association led to Healy's handling negotiations for the lease and purchase of postal facilities in Michigan. The construction of the main Flint Post Office is especially well documented. This material is contained in the "Post Offices" series. For Healy's reminiscences of his service in Washington and his friendship with Summerfield, see My Montie, 1900-1985:
Remembrances by Her Husband, which Healy published in 1986.
During the last years of his life, Healy worked as a consultant to the Flint Downtown Development Authority. This agency purchased land on Saginaw Street for redevelopment, and he had charge of arranging sales. This series includes not only appraisals and documents relating to the transfer of these properties, but also documentation on the agency's activities and studies on downtown traffic.
The personal series includes a diary he kept during his military service in World War I and documents relating to his service. These form the basis of his self-published memoirs, World War I Diary: 1917-1919, which the interested researcher should consult. The correspondence in this series is both outgoing and incoming and was carried on mainly with relatives.
Certain buildings and institutions are well documented, and these deserve special mention. These include the Flint Rotary Club and the Flint City Club, both of which Healy was a member; the Metropolitan Building/Northbank Plaza; the Durant Hotel; the Sill Building and the Fenton (Kresge) Block.
The approximately four hundred loose photographs and twenty-seven slides mainly depict commercial and industrial buildings in Flint from the 1920s to the 1980s and complement the collection. Two albums contain photographs taken in France during World War I.
FOLDER LIST
BOX 1
TOPICAL, 1958-1987
A - miscellaneous
American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers
American Society of Real Estate Counselors
Auto World
Clippings
Correspondence
Indians
B - miscellaneous
Bishop Airport
Buick
C - miscellaneous
Carriage Town
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co.
Citizens Commercial and Savings Bank
Commission Schedule
Country Club (subdivision)
Completed sales
Tax record and legal descriptions
D - miscellaneous
Downtown
General
Clippings
Study of high-rise apartments, 1966
Doyle Urban Renewal Area
E - miscellaneous
Economic development
Clippings
Correspondence and reports
Education
Enterprise Development Corporation (James W. Rouse)
F - miscellaneous
Fauth, Gerald W.
Flint - clippings
Flint Area Chamber of Commerce
BOX 2
Flint Area Conference, Inc.
Flint Area Convention and Tourist Bureau
Flint-area headquarters
Flint-area realtors
Flint Board of Realtors
Flint City Club
Flint Journal
Flint Township
Franchises
G - miscellaneous
GMI Engineering and Management Institute
General Motors Corporation
General
Sale lease-backs
General Tire Company
Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission
Genesee Township
B. F. Goodrich Company
Grand Blanc
Greater Flint Downtown Corporation
H - miscellaneous
Healy and Carey - Information on Michigan cities [l930?]
Healy Realty brochures
Hospitals
Hurand, Arthur
Hutchison, Lewis D.
I - miscellaneous
Industrial parks
Industrial properties
J - miscellaneous
Jacobson Stores, Inc.
K - miscellaneous
Keyes Realty International, Inc.
S. S. Kresge Co.
L - miscellaneous
Lee, William (WKMF, WCRZ)
M - miscellaneous
Maloney, John T.
Marian Hall
Marathon Flint Oil Company
Matthews, Ernest (Bay City)
Mc - miscellaneous
McLaren General Hospital
Michigan Association of Realtors
BOX 3
Michigan Bell locations
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation
Mitchell, William (Owosso)
Mobile home parks
Mott Foundation
N - miscellaneous
National Association of Realtors
O - miscellaneous
P - miscellaneous
Parking ramps and lot
Percentage lease
Plunkett, Mary K., estate
Population - Genesee County
R - miscellaneous
Rental rates
Riverbank Park
Rosman, Carl
S - miscellaneous
Sale-leasebacks
Shopping centers
Skarritt, Donald J.
Society of Industrial Realtors
Soley, Ted (General Motors Corp.)
Somerset Village Apartments
Speeches
T - miscellaneous
Tallberg, Bud R.
U-V - miscellaneous
UAW-GM
Urban Land Institute
W - miscellaneous
Warehouse Club
Warehouse property
Windmill Place
Y-Z - miscellaneous
PROPERTY DATA SHEETS, 1926-1971
Industries - Labor and manufacturing conditions
Industries and railroad frontage
Other cities
Flint
Averill Ave.-Burton St.
Cadillac St.-Crescent Dr.
Dartmouth St.-Dye Rd.
East Boulevard Dr.-Franklin Ave.
Garden St.-Harrison St.
Hasselbring St.-Kelso St.
BOX 4
Lapeer St.-Lyons St.
McFarland St.-Root St.
N. Saginaw St.
201-1753
1802-6314
S. Saginaw St.
100-347
400-629
700-6204
St. John St.-Stone St.
Taylor St.-Woodlawn Park Dr.
Appraisals, 1924-1926
PROPERTY FILES, 1929-1987 (by street or correspondent)
3019 Air Park Dr.
622 Ann Arbor St.
2002 Bagwell St.
(1 of 2)
(2 of 2)
1207 N. Ballenger
Beach St.
514-516
522
816
Beecher Rd.
G-3237
Miscellaneous
2901 Bennett Ave.
Bishop Airport
202 E. Boulevard Dr.
Bristol Place
Bristol Rd.
2051 (Arlans)
2480
at Bishop Airport
Miscellaneous
1336 Carpenter Rd.
Catsman Companies
General
1968-1976
BOX 5
G-3255 Beecher Rd.
2201 W. Bristol Rd. (Holiday Industrial Park)
932 S. Center Rd. (Howard Johnson Motel)
Clio and Pierson Roads
4501 Van Slyke Rd. (Flint Bowl-o-mat)
2810 Wroxton Dr.
Airport property
Glen Haven
Harbor Springs
Center Rd. - miscellaneous
502 Church St. (Flint City Club)
Citizens Bank Building
Clio Rd.
5000 (Woolco Shopping Center)
5100
5120
5152
5190
5200
5520
5989
Hamady land
Miscellaneous
E. Coldwater Rd.
1121
at N. Saginaw St.
Corunna Rd.
at 1-75 (Carman Plaza) 3300
3367
Utley School property
Miscellaneous
Court St.
East
224
at Harrison St.
at Stevens
at Lapeer St. (University of Michigan-Flint)
1835
7256
West
225
Miscellaneous
1611 Crescent Dr.
Davison Rd.
2825
4001
at Belsay
Miscellaneous
Detroit St.
600
5515
Miscellaneous
610 Dexter St.
Dolan Dr.
4054
Westwood Heights Mobile Home Park
Dorothy St.
1047
1071
BOX 6
Dort Highway
North
at E. Court St.
2010
2110 (Dort Mall)
2310
2610
South
205
1780
2051
3549
3600-3750 (Dort Mall)
Miscellaneous
625 East St.
Fenton Rd.
at Hemphill
Miscellaneous
E. Fifth Ave. at North St.
First Ave. - Miscellaneous
First St.
East
134
336
Flushing Rd.
4562
Diplomat Plaza
Miscellaneous
Forest City Enterprises
310 E. Fourteenth St.
1025 E. Fourth Ave.
Garland St.
605
Miscellaneous
Genesee Towers
Gorey Ave.
Grand Traverse St.
North
102
129
South
625
Miscellaneous
Grand Trunk Railroad
Harrison St.
529
630
719
Miscellaneous
Health Plus
2160 E. Hemphill Rd.
W. Hill Rd.
2164
5301
4129 Holiday Dr.
BOX 7
Kearsley St.
East
120
123
125
West
111
116
115-121
117-127
120
126
510
Miscellaneous
Kelso St.
502
601
814 Kensington St.
Kessel, Al
Lapeer St.
2312
Miscellaneous
Lavelle Rd.
2591
Michigan Bell
501 Lewis St.
Linden Rd.
South
3274
north of Lennon
Miscellaneous
Lippincott Blvd.
2716
Agree Industrial Park
Maple Rd. at Linden Rd.
Mercury Real Estate Co.
Michigan State Office Building
Miller Rd.
3100
3415
3451
at S. Linden Rd. (Genesee Valley Shopping Center)
4081
4337
4511
Miscellaneous
Mount Morris (Summerfield property)
3196 W. Pasadena
Payne St.
620
706
4408 W. Pierson Rd.
Pierson Rd. - Miscellaneous
Richfield Rd.
5220
Miscellaneous
Saginaw St.
North
432 (Northbank Center)
450 (Metropolitan Building)
500-502
514
601
602
BOX 8
623
701
833
2520
2700 block
2712 (Summerfield Chevrolet)
General
Appraisals
Blueprints
6201
6259
7015
7151
7188-7218 (Mt. Morris Commons)
Miscellaneous
South
242 (Commerce Building)
322
328 (Citizens Bank Building)
341
401-415
(1 of 2)
(2 of 2)
415
421
424
427
433-451 (Smith-Bridgman's)
452
459-463
460
503-517
510-514
523-525
526
531
532
538
BOX 9
550
551
552-562
559
560
562
565
1937-1969
1983-1985
1985-1987
601
602
607-609
615
626
629
649
653
700
at M-78
1200-1214
1515
3375
4014
Miscellaneous
St. John Industrial Park
607 Second Ave. (Durant Hotel)
Correspondence
1964-1973
1973
1974-1979
1983-1985
1986
Descriptions and projections Drawings
Feasability studies and appraisals
Financial information
Legal papers
Newspaper clippings
BOX 10
Second St.
East
139 (Capitol Hotel)
715
Miscellaneous
West
132-134
230
607
901
Stanley Rd. (A. E. Summerfield)
1957-1972
1972-1979
1602 W. Third Ave.
307 E. Third St.
4501 Van Slyke Rd.
Water St. - Miscellaneous
Water Street Pavilion
1806 Webster Rd. (Holiday Village Mobile Home Park)
PROPERTY FILES, 1929-1987 (by city)
Bay City (Orchard Manor)
Burton
Clio
Davison
Dearborn
Flushing
Grand Blanc
Bella Vista Mall
Grant Plaza
Miscellaneous
Owosso
Mitchell-Bentley Co.
Miscellaneous
Richville
Saginaw
Fontaine Gardens
Montgomery-Ward
Second National Bank
Swartz Creek - Swartz Creek Elevator and Lumber Company
POST OFFICES
Adrian
Ann Arbor
Clio
Detroit
Flint
Cody Station
S. Dort Hwy. at Hemphill
250 East Boulevard
1956-1957
1958-1959
Appraisal
BOX 11
Construction
General
Maintenance
Assessment, 1961
3102 N. Franklin Ave.
North side
Flushing
Grand Blanc
Kalamazoo
Kalkaska - Air Force base
Livonia
Miscellaneous
FLINT DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, 1979-1987
Billings
Bollinger, Bruce, appraiser
Clippings
(1 of 2)
(2 of 2)
Correspondence, 1979-1982
Deeds and sales
Property data sheets
Realtor's agreement
Relocation assistance
Reports and memoranda
Status reports
Survey of Flint-area Residents' Perceptions and Practices Regarding Downtown Flint
Properties
117 E. First St.
414 Harrison St.
E. Kearsley St.
116
117-127
120
122-126
S. Saginaw St.
257 (Sill Building)
Apartment 1
Apartment 2
BOX 12
Apartment 3
Apartment 4
Apartment 5
Apartment 6
Apartment 7
Apartment 8
Apartment 9
301-325
333
347
401
421
431
451
453-455
459
PERSONAL, 1980-1987
School records, 1911-1917
Diary, May 26, 1918-July 4, 1919
Military and War Department records, 1917-1919, 1924
Correspondence
1980-1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
Cornell University
Flint College and Cultural Development
Rotary International
Awards and certificates
MAPS
OVERSIZE
16 lithographic prints of old Flint buildings by J. Anthony, John Davies, Stefan Davidek, Robert Knapman, 1961-1962