MIT CHAPEL

EERO SAARINEN
EERO SAARINEN (1910 – 1961)

• Eero Saarinen is one of the most

respected architects of the 20th Century,
often regarded as a master of his craft.
Known for his dynamic and fluid forms, his
design for the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology’s chapel takes on a different
typology than his previous works
• Eero Saarinen was surrounded by design
his whole life. It came as no surprise that
Eero was helping his father design
furniture and fixtures for the Cranbrook
campus by the time he was in his teens.

Saarinen's revolutionary Pedestal Collection debuted in 1958
Over the next 15 years Saarinen designed many of the
most recognizable Knoll pieces, including the Tulip
chairs and tables, the Womb chair, and the 70 series
seating collection.
Eero, who was known for being obsessed with revision,
took a sculptural approach to furniture design, building
hundreds of models and full scale mock-ups to achieve
the perfect curve, find the right line, and derive the
most pleasing proportions.
His designs, which employed modern materials in
graceful, organic shapes, helped establish the
reputation and identity of Knoll during its formative
years.
Eero Saarinen was born in 1910 in Finland.
The architect started his career with an
apprenticeship and partnership with his
father—prolific Art Deco architect Eliel
Saarinen—and went on to become one of the
most important designers of the 20th
century.
Working mainly in the U.S., he created
dramatically different structures at each
turn in his career, immersing himself in
various genres and concepts, making bold
choices and executing them with confidence.
Thus his oeuvre lacks a signature touch,
save perhaps the unifying characteristic of
refinement of form. Saarinen’s works are not
only architectural treasures but also
symbols—they capture an era of technology,
of futurism, and of optimism.
Landmark Buildings by Architect
Eero Saarinen:
TWA Flight Center, 1962, New York
This JFK terminal was one of several Saarinen
projects completed after his death in 1961.
This opus magnum took the shape of a
compact bird, embodying a ’60s sense of
fantasy and science fiction (it would not be
out of place as a Southern California Googie
pit stop). Requiring, however, a touch more
class, the terminal was built to meet the needs
of an emerging jet-set elite. Even its most
utilitarian parts—the arrivals and departures
board, the ticket counter, the waiting area—
were designed to emulate the luxurious
bridge of a spaceship.
Miller House and Garden, 1957, Columbus,
Indiana

This glass-and-steel house is perhaps Saarinen’s

most treasured residential project. The house is
modernism at its stately peak.

An architectural tradition developed by Ludwig

Mies van der Rohe, this house encompasses
some of the most fundamental aspects of the
international Modernist aesthetic, including an
open and flowing layout, flat roof and vast
stone and glass walls.