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