Eero Saarinen collection

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Part of

• Collection: Eero Saarinen collection, 1956-1964

People

• Eero Saarinen (architect)
• Eero Saarinen & Associates (architect)
• Eero Saarinen (archive creator)

Title

Eero Saarinen collection

Dates of creation

1956-1964

Form

• archives

Level of archival description

Collection

Extent and Medium

• 573 drawings
• 132 photographs
• 27 textual documents
• 1 16 mm film
• 1 DVD

Scope and Content

The Eero Saarinen Collection documents eight built projects executed in the United States, Greece, Norway and the United Kingdom. The projects reflect the range of Saarinen's practice, including airports (Athens), churches (North Christian Church, Columbus, Indiana), embassies (the US Embassy and Chancellery building at Oslo, Norway and London, England), corporate headquarters (CBS, New York and John Deere, Moline, Illinois) and university buildings (the David S. Ingalls Hockey Arena, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut).

The collection includes many autograph Saarinen drawings, especially conceptual sketches, as well as design devlopment drawings, photographic materials, including views of non-extant models and textual documents.

Reference Number

AP159

Arrangement

Materials in this collection are arranged by project into eight series.

Biographical notes

Eero Saarinen was born in Kirkkonummi, Finland. He studied sculpture in France before entering architecture school at Yale University. Saarinen worked for his father Eliel and taught at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

He formed his own architectual office in 1950 and until his death, in 1961, produced a remarkable range of buildings, primarily in the United States. He designed airports, university buildings, churches, corporate headquarters, private houses and furniture.

Conditions governing access

• Access by appointment only.

Conditions governing reproduction

• For copyright information or permission to reproduce material from the fonds, please contact the CCA (reproductions@cca.qc.ca).

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

• Gift of David Graham Powrie in 2001.

Custodial history

The Eero Saarinen Collection remained in the custody of David Graham Powrie until his donation of the bulk of the collection to the CCA in 2001 as part of a donation of 800 drawings, photographs and a film by, or related to Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames and Oscar Niemeyer. The Niemeyer and some Eames materials are in the CCA's Prints and Drawings Collection. Subsequent smaller transfers were made in 2002 and 2005.

Archivist's note

• The collection was likely processed by Howard Shubert.

Credit line

When citing the collection as a whole, use the citation: Eero Saarinen collection, Collection Centre Canadien d’Architecture/Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal. When citing specific collection material, please refer to the object’s specific credit line.

Language of material

Documents are in English.

Related units of description

• PH1985:0559 is a 1952 group portrait of the UNESCO architects, including Eero Saarinen. ARCH111487 is a photograph of the IBM plant by Kevin Roche, part of the Peter Carter fonds. ARCH218255 are slides of the John Deere factory within the Myron Goldsmith fonds. A complimentary collection of Eero Saarinen's work is found at the Yale University Library.