Saarinen

Saarinen is a Finnish surname that has become associated with a prominent line of architects and designers. The name is most strongly linked to Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen, who were central figures in the development of 20th-century modern architecture.

Eliel Saarinen (1873–1950) was a leading Finnish architect whose work helped define Finnish nationalism in architecture. Among his notable projects is the Helsinki Central Railway Station, completed in the 1910s, which remains a landmark of Finnish design. After moving to the United States, he became a key figure at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, influencing a generation of architects and designers through teaching and collaboration.

Eero Saarinen (1910–1961), Eliel’s son, pursued a separate but related career and became one of the most influential modernist architects of his era. His portfolio includes the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport (1962), the Dulles International Airport terminal (completed in 1962), and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis (completed in 1965). He also designed several prominent buildings at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, such as the MIT Chapel and Kresge Auditorium (both completed in 1955), and the Miller House in Columbus, Indiana, a renowned example of mid‑century modern residential design.

The Saarinen name thus carries a legacy of modern architecture and design, bridging Finnish roots and American practice. It is most closely associated with contributions to public, institutional, and corporate architecture, as well as to the Cranbrook artistic community that fostered new approaches to form, structure, and spatial experience.