Suburban Wilmington Development Company, 1950-1965
Part of collection: William du Pont family papers (2317)
Dates
- Creation: 1950-1965
Historical Note
This was a real estate company registered in Delaware on April 9, 1951, as a subsidiary of Shapdale, Inc., to manage land in New Castle County, Delaware. In May 1951, it acquired a parcel of land, consisting of 1718.99 front feet along the easterly side of the Concord Turnpike, north of Murphy Road, with the intent to use this land for commercial purposes. In the next few years, conveyances were made to the Delaware Trust Company, Diamond Ice and Coal Company, Howard Johnson's Restaurant, American Stores Company, Robert K. Beste, Fairfax Realty Company, Worth Brothers, and several other companies. Once all of the land was sold, the company was dissolved on September 30, 1965, and all the assets transferred to the sole stockholder Shapdale, Inc.
The company was also involved in real estate operations in other areas of New Castle County and in California, where in April 1953, it bought the so-called "Kellogg Estate" near Indio and sold it in December of the same year.
William du Pont, Jr. was the company president.
Scope and Content
Suburban Wilmington Development Company papers include Minute Books and tax returns for the entire period of company's existence and an Account Book for 1951-1956; deeds and agreements, including the ones made by Shapdale, Inc., before organization of the Suburban Wilmington Development Company; and correspondence related to the organization of the company, acquisitions, and sales of property, and services of local maintenance companies. Correspondence files also include invoices, copies of agreements, extracts from minute books, receipts for 1952-1964 state and local taxes, 1941 and 1950 material on Wilmington Manor at Monroe Avenue and du Pont Highway, which later became the property of Suburban Wilmington Development Company.
Of special interest is an appraisal for the Concord Turnpike property performed in April 1951 for Shapdale, Inc., by T. B. O'Toole, Inc. An analysis showed the ineffectiveness of the commercial development of the lot and proposed a combined residential and commercial development.
General Physical Description note
0.8 linear feet, 3 volumes, part of an oversize folder
Extent
From the Record Group: 339 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Additional Description
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
These records are located in remote storage. Please contact staff 48 hours in advance of research visit at askhagley@hagley.org
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
