"Other" Modern Masters II

Eero Saarinen (1910-1961), born in Finland, immigrated with his family to the US in 1923

Son of Eeliel Saarinen

Eeliel Saarinen (1873-1950); became president of Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1932

Father of Eero Saarinen, important Scandinavian architect

Eero Saarinen Ideas

Finnish, orthogonal work, becomes more distinct in using sculptural forms, designer of furniture and objects including tulip table and chair

Luis Barragan, Mexico City (Tlalpan), Capuchin Convent and Chapel, 1954-60.

convent for secluded nuns and public, two chapels, divisions between altar and service by grid screens, freestanding cross, unremarkable exterior from the street, wood framing softens the architecture, green plants bring in nature, metallic plain triptych, colors are implemented on specific walls, color and texture create the space rather than form.

Luis Barragan, Mexico City, Casa Barragan, 1947.

exterior is not noticeable, 3 levels, modest entrance, extends living spaces into nature, large glass frame-less window, solid and cantilevered stairs, manipulation of color and light, reflections off pink wall become essential, secondary and tertiary colors like magenta, lilac, orange. door pulls out and fits into wall and is playfully painted and abstracted

Eeliel Saarinen, Chicago, Tribune Tower, competition entry 1922; came to the US to begin a second career, 1923.

his entry lost to a more conservative neo-gothic style. his version was art-deco, more linear, symmetry, telescoping sections, compare to empire state building, won second place and lifted career.

Luis Barragan (1902-1988); fuses Mexican vernacular/indigenous cultural traditions with the principles of Modernism

local materials, indigenous/vernacular traditions, combined with modernism, spiritual psychological aspirations, wanted an emotional response, vibrant color on stucco,

Eero Saarinen, New York, J.F. Kennedy Airport, TWA Terminal, 1956-62.

modern legacies of early 20th century expressionist architecture, dramatic form. Four panels of roof rest on four piers, side wings extend from lower floor up to upper level, glass enclosure, organic and expressive, fluidity and inspiration of flight form. Another important airport terminal, the TWA building (now John F. Kennedy) Airport. This sculptural building also expresses its function, appearing not to hover but to be caught in mid-flight. Both buildings demonstrate Saarinen's belief that architecture can be seen as placing something between earth and sky.

Eeliel Saarinen, Columbus, IN, First Christian Church, 1942 (with his son, Eero Saarinen).

one of first modern design churches- abstract and no historical stylizing, abstracted cross and bell tower, main block sanctuary, two level school, administrative spaces. concrete slab facades, brick, glass, steel structure, wood interior. Enter interior sanctuary with circulation beginning under low ceilings to left of chapel, has tall strip windows on opposite side, a wood lat screen conceals service and organ, shifting angles of walls leads up to altar, operable skylight, total design by saarinens. Admin spaces have concrete stairs that are modern and then warmed by wood columns and terra cotta colored walls. The school is elevated by pilotis, surrounded by natural light and courtyards. Smaller chapel with more acoustical add-ons like cork flooring, leather wrapped columns.

Eero Saarinen, St. Louis, MO, "Gateway Arch," (Jefferson National Expansion Memorial); competition winner 1947, constructed in the 1960s.

parabolic arch, one can ride a tram/elevator inside and look out, over 600 ft, next to Mississippi river, reinforced concrete and steel with stainless steel panels, compare to bridges by Eiffel, idea of power of education expanding westward and improving a democracy by Jefferson,

Eero Saarinen, Chantilly, VA (near Washington D.C.), Dulles International Airport Terminal, 1958-63.

site layout is simple, large rectangular building, pagoda like control tower, lots of parking, runways. two levels for arrival and departure. Eero Saarinen had briefly studied sculpture in Paris before attending the Yale School of Architecture. In this drawing for the terminal, the concrete roof slab and piers thrust upward as if to take flight. It is Saarinen's use of foreshortening—there is dramatic differentiation of size between the front of the slab and the back—that gives the mass this dynamic sense of liftoff and speed. In actuality the roof of the terminal was to be suspended like a hammock between two rows of columns, 65 feet high in the front and 40 in the back, creating a grand interior space 600 feet long. In order to reduce the distances that passengers had to walk, and to create a compact building, Saarinen developed "mobile lounges," motorized departure lounges on wheels that would detach from the terminal and transport travelers to their aircraft, located at service areas near the runways.

Eero Saarinen, Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kresge Auditorium and Chapel, 1950-55.

thin-shelled reinforced concrete curving structure supported on 3 points, inner walls filled with glass, essentially 1/8 of a sphere. the chapel is a brick cylinder with an abstracted spire, abstracted church in general, no sign of religion besides spire, brick arches on bottom of cylinder sit on wedge supports surrounded by pool, the entrance is a long somewhat detached corridor with fogged glass, windows in cylinder are inside of brick arches where light reflects off pool into church, the altar has an abstract marble stepped platform below an oculus hanging strings of metal confetti- a shower of light glimmers.