Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future

The famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis came out of an architectural competition, where both Eliel and his son, Eero, entered designs. Confusion over a telegraph addressed to "E. Saarinen" led to a celebration for Eliel, when it was actually Eero who had won the competition. The design won Eero critical recognition and helped launch his career as an architect of renown.

Eero Saarinen believed that "architecture is not just here to give space and shelter, but architecture also has the purpose of marking and enhancing man's time on earth." Nowhere was he able to illustrate that more boldly than at the General Motors Technical Facility in Warren, MI.

MIT is renovating their chapel, designed by Eero Saarinen and dedicated in 1955, using modern building techniques and materials to maintain the original design.

In designing the MIT Chapel, Eero Saarinen aimed to capture an environment "which was not derived from a particular religion but from basic spiritual feelings."

In designing the Dulles International Airport, Eero Saarinen re-imagined a jet-age world, solving the problem of growing terminals by bringing the passenger to the plane with a "mobile lounge."

The First Christian Church in Columbus, IN, was designed by both Eliel and Eero Saarinen, and shows the marks of Eero's developing style.

In a time of modernist architecture, Eero Saarinen broke the mold by creating emotionally compelling buildings. When designing the Ingalls Rink for Yale's hockey team, Saarinen used suspended cables to create a fluid-looking roof and a truly unique space.

At TWA, we tried to design a building in which the architecture itself would express the drama and excitement of travel. In a way, this is man's desire to conquer gravity.

Aline Louchheim, an art critic at the New York Times, quickly developed a strong relationship with Eero Saarinen.

As Eero Saarinen struggled to maintain his relationship with his wife, his relationship with Aline Louchheim and their shared professional ambition bloomed.

The CBS Building in New York City, or Black Rock, is an imposing 38-story building of black marble. Leaning away from the glass and concrete construction of the time, Saarinen wanted to create something with a dense, strong feeling.

Director Peter Rosen and Director of Photography, ASC, Eric Saarinen, discuss the making of the film Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future.