![]() ![]() Her research was so robust that she ended up founding the GM Design Archive & Special Collections, which was ultimately responsible for the site’s designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2014. Skarsgard was tasked with creating a one-of-a-kind book for the GMTC’s 50th anniversary in 2006, which allowed her to dig deep into the design history of the campus. “That said, I really knew nothing about the midcentury design world and how Michigan played such an important role as a nexus for design practitioners and manufacturers of the time.” “When I first started working at GM, designing emblems and nameplates for cars and trucks, I was so fascinated and inspired by the overall design aesthetic of the buildings and furnishings throughout the campus,” says Skarsgard. That building and its design legacy as a midcentury-modern icon are the subjects of the new book Where Today Meets Tomorrow: Eero Saarinen and the General Motors Technical Center ( $60, Princeton Architectural Press) by General Motors designer Susan Skarsgard. The younger Saarinen didn’t develop his own identity until his first solo project, the General Motors Technical Center, in Warren, Michigan. But well before stepping into the spotlight with these projects, he was more commonly known as the son of Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, a pioneering figure in design during the first half of the 20th century, at whose firm he worked for years. (not to mention his iconic womb and tulip chairs). Louis, and Washington Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. Kennedy International Airport, the Gateway Arch in St. Not to mention, he was also elected a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1954.Īs always, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates on all things Detroit and more.Today, Eero Saarinen is one of the world’s most famous architects, noted for such designs as the TWA Flight Center at New York’s John F. ![]() This accomplishment was a pivotal moment in jumpstarting Eeros’ career with self-validation and independence from his father.Įero was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1952, which awarded him a gold medal. There was a mishap with the “E”, which meant Eero had actually won. Eliel celebrated his design victory, but then discovered three days later that there was a discrepancy in the telegram that had announced the winner. The family rivals worked on their separate designs. Eero and his father Eliel entered the competition, individually. And so, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association held a competition in 1947 to choose a design that would commemorate them. LOUS GATEWAY ARCHĭuring the 1800s, a flood of pioneers paved their way through St. RIVERBOAT CRUISE IN MISSOURI, PHOTO ONLY IN YOUR STATE / PINTEREST THE ST. They moved to Michigan in 1924, where Saarinen was a visiting professor at the University of Michigan’s school of architecture.įun fact: he had Henry Scripps Booth, son of Detroit News president and Cranbrook estate owner George Booth, as a student. ![]() ![]() Eliel Saarinen and his family moved to the United States in 1923 after winning 2nd place for his entry for the Tribune Tower in Chicago. He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan where his father co-founded and taught at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Architect and industrial designer Eero Saarinen was born in Finland, the son of famed architect Eliel Saarinen, Eero moved to America with his family in 1923. A BRIEF HISTORY: EERO SAARINENįame runs in the Saarinen family. Detroit buildings are known to exude unique detail, but this designer behind some of the most iconic of them possess many intricacies!ĭetroitisit rounded up a list of astounding Eero Saarinen accomplishments that will leave you with a new outlook on what’s possible, from yesterday, into the future. If you enjoyed diving into Yamasaki’s evolutionary building designs and Albert-Kahn‘s iconic lineup of historical creations in our previous It Lists, then you’ll want to read into this next pivotal architect, Eero Saarinen’s life’s work. One of the world’s most famous architects is up next in this latest Detroitisit architectural design series. ![]()
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