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Eliel Saarinen

Finnish-American architect, 1873 to 1950, born in Rantasalmi, Grand Duchy of Finland

Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, 1926 Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Designer of Cranbrook, the building that went up in Bloomfield Hills in 1926, on the National Register since 1973. The Charles J. and Ingrid V. (Frendberg) Koebel House, Grosse Pointe Farms (1939), is the other Saarinen work on record here.

notable works beyond Metro Detroit
12

Eliel Saarinen's skyline, here and beyond

Both of Saarinen's works on record, with 6 of Saarinen's notable works elsewhere drawn paler, oldest at left. None has a height on record, so each is drawn at one standard size in the shape of its kind.

Both of Saarinen's works on record, with 5 of Saarinen's notable works elsewhere drawn paler, oldest at left. None has a height on record, so each is drawn at one standard size in the shape of its kind.

Cranbrook

1926, Bloomfield Hills, height not on record, drawn at one standard size

Still standing, photographed 2021

Open its page
  • Standing
  • Beyond Metro Detroit
  • Tap or point at a building

The story

By Victoria Jackson, Editor in Chief Updated

Eliel Saarinen lived from 1873 to 1950, a life that began in Rantasalmi, Grand Duchy of Finland, and Wikidata describes Saarinen as a Finnish-American architect. The work that leads Saarinen's record here is Cranbrook, a building in Bloomfield Hills, finished in 1926 and listed on the National Register in 1973.

Beyond the six counties, Saarinen designed Pohjola Insurance building in Helsinki, Finland (1898), Suur-Merijoki Manor in Vyborgsky District, Finland (1902), and Hvitträsk in Kirkkonummi, Finland (1903). Among the honors on record for Saarinen are the Royal Gold Medal in 1950 and the AIA Gold Medal in 1947. The record opens in 1926 with Cranbrook, in the years the auto age reached every town around Detroit, and closes in 1939 with the Charles J. and Ingrid V. (Frendberg) Koebel House.

Both Cranbrook and the Charles J. and Ingrid V. (Frendberg) Koebel House still stand. On the Charles J. and Ingrid V. (Frendberg) Koebel House, Saarinen shares credit with Eero Saarinen.

Saarinen's work spreads across Oakland County and Wayne County. Anyone tracing Saarinen's work can begin at Cranbrook at Lone Pine Rd and follow the map from there.

Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, Finnish: [ˈeliel ˈsɑːrinen]; August 20, 1873, July 1, 1950) was a Finnish and American architect, designer, and urban planner. Saarinen worked in a diverse range of styles in his native Finland and, after emigrating in 1923, the United States.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Eliel Saarinen in Metro Detroit, oldest first

Where their buildings stand

County

2 works on the map

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  • Standing
  • Demolished
  • Altered
  • Works close together

2 works on the map

Eliel Saarinen's work elsewhere

12 notable works by Eliel Saarinen in 8 places, from 1898 to 1948, as Wikidata lists them.

Who Saarinen worked with

  • Eero Saarinen on the Charles J. and Ingrid V. (Frendberg) Koebel House

Where the work stands

Photo credits

All 14 photos on Eliel Saarinen's page, each with its author, license and the original.

  1. Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, 2021 Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. mustavalkoinen, 1921 Photo: Armas Otto Väisänen, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. Charles J. and Ingrid V. (Frendberg) Koebel House, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, 2010 Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  4. Pohjola Insurance building Photo: Susannaanas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  5. Suur-Merijoki Manor Photo: signe brander, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  6. Hvitträsk Photo: Uusijani, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  7. Helsinki Central Railway Station Photo: Anne Pietarinen, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  8. National Museum of Finland Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Thermos assumed..., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
  9. Lahti Town Hall Photo: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  10. Vyborg old railway station Photo: Helios Oy Ltd., public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  11. Joensuu Town Hall Photo: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  12. Marmoripalatsi Photo: Paasikivi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  13. Munkkiniemi education center Photo: Migro, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  14. Christ Church Lutheran Photo: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

The facts on Eliel Saarinen come from Wikidata, Wikipedia, and Photos; Rebuild Detroit wrote the story above from them, and each photo names its license.