On this day, August 20, Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen (1873) and Eero Saarinen (1910) were born. [View all]
Eliel Saarinen
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (/ˈsɑːrɪnən/, Finnish: [ˈelie̯l ˈsɑːrinen]; August 20, 1873 July 1, 1950) was a Finnish-American architect known for his work with art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect
Eero Saarinen.
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Move to the United States
Eliel Saarinen moved to the United States in 1923 after his competition entry for the Tribune Tower in Chicago, Illinois, won second place and so was not built; the most faithful realization of it is the 1929 Gulf Building in Houston. Saarinen first settled in Evanston, Illinois, where he worked on his scheme for the development of the Chicago lake front. In 1924 he became a visiting professor at the University of Michigan.
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Significant works
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Helsinki Central railway station
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Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, New York
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First Christian Church, Columbus, Indiana
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Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen (/ˈeɪroʊ ˈsɑːrɪnən, ˈɛəroʊ -/, Finnish: [ˈeːro ˈsɑːrinen]; August 20, 1910 September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer noted for his wide-ranging array of designs for buildings and monuments. Saarinen is best known for designing the
Washington Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., the
TWA Flight Center in New York City, and the
Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the son of noted Finnish architect
Eliel Saarinen.
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Architectural career
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After his father's death in July 1950, Saarinen founded his own architect's office, Eero Saarinen and Associates. He was the principal partner from 1950 until his death. The firm carried out many of its most important works, including the
Bell Labs Holmdel Complex in Holmdel Township, New Jersey;
Gateway Arch National Park (including the
Gateway Arch) in St. Louis, Missouri; the
Miller House in Columbus, Indiana; the
TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which he worked on with Charles J. Parise; the main terminal of
Washington Dulles International Airport; and the new East Air Terminal of the old
Athens airport in Greece, which opened in 1967. Many of these projects use
catenary curves in their structural designs.
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Sun Aug 20, 2023:
On this day, August 20, Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen (1873) and Eero Saarinen (1910) were born.
Sat Aug 20, 2022:
On this day, August 20, Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen (1873) and Eero Saarinen (1910) were born.
Fri Aug 20, 2021:
On this day, August 20, Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen (1873) and Eero Saarinen (1910) were born.