Glenn "Red" Beach
1916 - 1999
Part of the prominent Mid-Century Modern era, Glenn Beach lived in Saginaw and Frankenmuth, was born in New York state, and moved to Saginaw in1948. After serving in World War II he worked briefly in the architectural offices of Frantz & Spence in Saginaw and Alden B. Dow in Midland before opening his own firm in Saginaw.
Among a few of his designs the most notable include: Saginaw Children’s Zoo (and its popular Blue Whale), St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Saginaw Township, Bavarian Inn Restaurant (the owners sent him to Germany to research architecture), upwards of 10 homes in the Delta Woods area of Saginaw Twp., along with homes for well-known Saginaw names such as Bushey, Koucky, Draper, and Defoe locally, and 100 more throughout the state.
He also designed offices for local doctors (Gamon, Manning, Heavenrich), the Saginaw YMCA addition with its suspended track, Frankenmuth Library, Jesse Rouse Elementary School, IG in Frankenmuth and Timber Lanes bowling alley in Traverse City.
One of his biggest challenges was designing a home for a University of Michigan music professor in Ann Arbor that included a massive pipe organ.
His woodsy style is known for use of field stone and brick, numerous built planters outside and built in cabinets inside, large overhanging soffits, low sloping roofs, and built throughout like rock. Active with Saginaw Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (president), Elks & Rotary Clubs, he also acted and built sets with Pit & Balcony and served six years on race driver Martin Tanner’s crew and raced an Austin Healey 3000 in a Class C competition and was an active photographer of race cars.
He is quoted as saying: “Architecture is anything that has to do with man-made design for the environment in which mankind lives.”