The group 4 of Shapdale, Inc., papers contains material collected by B. T. Converse in his capacity as building engineer and manager for the Delaware Trust Building for Delaware Trust Building Corporation and Delaware Trust Building Division of Shapdale, Inc. Converse's files as engineer for the Delaware Steeplechase and Race Association (DSRA) are kept with as group 4, papers of Delaware Steeplechase and Race Association.

Files contain Converse's correspondence with companies that were involved in construction of the building's two-wing addition in 1929-1930, its addition and alteration of 1930s, and maintenance of the building systems during the period of 1929-1955. Material related to construction of the Office (Hercules) Tower in 1959, (when B. T. Converse was not with the Shapdale Inc.,) appear in b) Construction of Hercules Tower of the 2. Delaware Trust Building Corporation of the Shapdale, Inc. papers. Correspondence is accompanied with numerous proposals, trade catalogs, specifications, cost estimates, invoices, drawings, photographs, companies' history materials, and press clippings.

A portion of the material pertains to other projects supervised by B. T. Converse such as elevator installation at Delaware Trust Company, Dover branch; construction and alterations to the houses at Bellevue, Carrcroft farm, Montpelier, Newtown Square, Fair Hill, and Bradford house (Kennett Pike, Wilmington); selection of machinery for operations at William du Pont, Jr.'s Delaware farms (handling corn silage and dry hay, cattle transportation, livestock scales); construction of the grandstand at United Hunts at Roslyn, Long Island and Fair Hill, stable at Radnor Hunt, Radnor, Pennsylvania, and house at stables in Saratoga Springs; construction of covered tennis courts at Bellevue; transfer of riding school from Newtown Square to Bellevue; evaluation of Miller Train Control Corporation traffic control device in 1929 (William du Pont, Jr. as well as his father were stockholders of the company.

Among materials of a special interest are:.

1) correspondence with New York architectural firm Dennison & Hirons, which was involved in the construction of the original Delaware Trust Building in 1919-1921. The firm attempted to get the contract for architectural work for the two-wing addition in 1928, which was rejected by William du Pont, Jr., and also correspondence and memoranda re: problems of the foundation design of the original building.

2) specifications for the DTB addition compiled by B. T. Converse and P. T. Harris, [1928].

3) material related to the erection in 1937-1938 of a Court wing of DTB-a six-story office building between two existing wings-including local newspaper clippings with photographs of the new construction (Wark Company files).

4) civil defense literature on protection of the building during the war, 1941-1942, from the National Association of Building Owners and Managers: bulletins and booklets issued by United States Office of Civilian Defense, War Department, Building Managers' Association of Chicago, and the American Bankers Association.

Files are organized alphabetically by the original titles; the names of the objects of construction or maintenance were added (Delaware Trust Building addition, Bellevue residence, etc.).

Wark Company (a subcontractor for the Delaware Trust Building, 1929-1930 additions) files are supplemented with payrolls and contractors' bills, which were kept together with files of B. T. Converse.