 | Eero Saarinen looks over a model of the campus as he reviews his design for Ezra Stiles and Morse Colleges, which were built between 1960 and 1962. |
The architectural firm Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates has donated its Eero Saarinen papers to the Manuscripts and Archives division of the Yale Library.
"We are delighted that it is now possible to transfer these important archives to Yale University," says Kevin Roche, a principal of the firm. "It is what Eero would have wished."
Saarinen (19101961) is considered one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. Born in Kirkkonummi, Finland, he emigrated to the United States with his family in 1923. He studied architecture and received a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Yale in 1934. Shortly thereafter, he went into practice with his father, the architect Eliel Saarinen, until the latter's death in 1950.
The alumnus later founded his own firm, Eero Saarinen and Associates, during which time he produced his best-known buildings, including the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan; the U.S. Embassy on Grosvenor Square, London; the Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey; the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) in St. Louis, Missouri; the Trans World Airways Terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York; the Terminal Building at Dulles International Airport; and the CBS Headquarters in New York.
Two other significant Saarinen structures are on the Yale campus: the Ezra Stiles and Samuel F.B. Morse residential college complex and the David S. Ingalls Hockey Rink.
In addition to his renown as an architect of buildings and monuments, Saarinen is celebrated as a designer of furniture. His "Womb Chair" (1947) and "Tulip Chair" (1956) have become icons of mid-20th-century design.
"Eero Saarinen was the most artistically adventurous architect of his generation," notes Robert A.M. Stern, dean of the School of Architecture. "He combined great personal talent with an ability to assemble a brilliant office of young collaborators including Kevin Roche, Cesar Pelli, Gunnar Birkerts, Robert Venturi and Charles Eames.
"Almost uniquely among architects of his generation, Saarinen built for major corporations as well as the federal government and institutions of higher learning including Yale, M.I.T., the University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago," notes Stern. "Not only a brilliant designer, he was also a technological innovator whose pioneer work with glass curtain walls, controlled rusting steel and reinforced concrete permanently influenced how we build."
As Saarinen's successor firm, Roche Dinkeloo has maintained the primary body of his drawings, photographs, project files, scrapbooks and other materials in their offices in Hamden since the architect's death. Manuscripts and Archives already holds a substantial amount of Saarinen's papers and records -- given to the library by Saarinen's wife, Aline, in 1971 -- according to Richard Szary, director of Manuscripts and Archives. With the addition of this donation, which includes more than 600 tubes of drawings, nine file drawers of project specifications and several boxes of personal files and photographs, the Saarinen papers at Yale will become the largest and most comprehensive collection of his papers at any repository, he notes.
"The Eero Saarinen papers donated to the Yale Library by Roche Dinkeloo and Associates will provide architectural history students and scholars with a major resource for understanding the work of this important Yale-trained architect," says Szary. "The gift ... also represents a major step forward in our work to assemble a comprehensive archive documenting the increasingly significant accomplishments and influence of the many architects who have studied or taught at Yale."
T H I S
Yale gets archives of noted architect Eero Saarinen
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale gets archives of noted architect Eero Saarinen
Grant supports undergraduate, outreach science programs
Book of short stories by law student nominated for National Book Award
Lights! Camera! Action! Yale serves as locale for major motion picture
Yale partners to create a statewide bioterrorism plan
Junior faculty members awarded research fellowships
Actor and activist is honored as a Chubb Fellow
Noted architecture critic to give Poynter Lecture
Yale study shows that a commonly used heart medication . . .
American Physical Society honors Pierre Hohenberg
SCHOOL OF NURSING NEWSNew Office of Clinical Affairs will support faculty . . .
YSN faculty practice program cited for excellence . . .
'Taste and Beauty' showcases art collector's sculptures
Proceeds from students' auction will help fight hunger . . .
Yale will host annual intercollegiate mock trial competition
Alexander Garvin to speak about the future of the
World Trade Center site
Workshop will offer information on funding to small-business owners
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page