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Where Today Meets Tomorrow: Eero Saarinen and the General Motors Technical Center (icon of midcentury architecture by Eero Saarinen)
Current price:
$60.00
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2019
Publisher:
Princeton Architectural Press
ISBN:
9781616897697
Pages:
256
Description
Long before Microsoft or Apple occupied their legendary corporate campuses, there was the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Completed in 1956 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014, this icon of midcentury design was celebrated modern architect Eero Saarinen's (1910 – 1961) first major commission completed independent of his father, Eliel Saarinen, and its story offers a unique perspective on his work.
Longtime GM designer Susan Skarsgard weaves a detailed insider's account of the early days of General Motors, the initiation of the technical center project under Eliel Saarinen, its design and construction under Eero Saarinen, and the enthusiastic acclaim the campus received upon its opening. Many leading lights of midcentury modernism were involved in the project as design consultants or artists, including Harry Bertoia, Alexander Girard, Florence Knoll, and Alexander Calder. This lavishly illustrated account is a unique document of a landmark project, presented in photographs and architectural drawings, interviews, documents, and ephemera, many never before seen.
Praise for Where Today Meets Tomorrow: Eero Saarinen and the General Motors Technical Center (icon of midcentury architecture by Eero Saarinen)
"It's the landmark in architectural history few Detroiters are familiar with -- hidden, as it is, behind a gate in Warren and off-limits to all but General Motors employees and guests. Happily, Susan Skarsgard has lifted the veil with a spectacular new coffee-table book."
- Detroit News
"Where Today Meets Tomorrow offers an engaging portrait of Eero Saarinen's General Motors Technical Center, in Warren, Michigan....Drawing on a wealth of historical documents and captivating photography, Skarsgard offers an engaging account that brings to life the central figures, key concepts and design execution that created this American masterwork."
- Chicago Tribune
"The General Motors Technical Center is widely regarded as an icon of midcentury architectural design and has received generous praise as a landmark project since its opening in 1956. Over 60 years later, General Motors designer Susan Skarsgard offers a detailed history of architect Eero Saarinen's original construction and design of the center via her new book. Where Today Meets Tomorrow: Eero Saarinen and the General Motors Technical Center includes photographs, architectural drawings, interviews, documents, and an unprecedented level of insight on the process of creating such an iconic project....The center was even deemed a National Historic Landmark in 2014. Ironically, despite receiving such acclaim and status, this landmark was not very well known for a long time, as it was mostly kept hidden behind closed doors and only admitted employees and guests. That's what makes this new book all the more exciting."
- Yahoo! News
"Longtime GM designer Skarsgard weaves a detailed insider's account of the early days of General Motors, the initiation of the Warren technical center project under Eliel Saarinen, its design and construction under Eero Saarinen and the enthusiastic acclaim the campus received upon its opening. Many leading lights of midcentury modernism were involved in the project as design consultants or artists. This lavishly illustrated account is a unique document of a landmark project, presented in photographs and architectural drawings, interviews, documents and ephemera - many never before seen." - Detroit Free Press
"This large, spectacular book not only tells the story of this massive design and engineering endeavor but also contains a multitude of period photographs. [Where Today Meets Tomorrow] is important because few people have been inside the Tech Center and very few have experienced the totality of the site. Inside the pages, you'll get a tour of the many facets of this unique corporate installation. The author presents the history of the company, the Warren installation and the personalities involved. You'll even get to see Harley Earl's impressive desk."
- View Through The Windshield
"Susan Skarsgard takes us inside the seldom seen world of the General Motors Technical Center in Warren. Skarsgard worked as designer for General Motors and analyzes the architecture of her former stomping grounds with the careful eye of an engineer. Her book is illustrated with photography and art preserved by the company and the two generations of Saarinens who were primarily responsible for the design of the Tech Center."
- Lansing City Pulse
"The General Motors Technical Center fascinates with architecture filled with an abundance of light. Interior offices and showrooms evoke the impression of a calm overcast sky for a human environment and beauty. The campus designed by Eero Saarinen represents an influential icon of midcentury design. Susan Skarsgard's book "Where Today Meets Tomorrow" opens intriguing perspectives to the origin of the American landmark."
- ArchDaily
"Longtime GM designer Susan Skarsgard weaves a detailed insider's account of the early days of General Motors, the initiation of the technical center project under Eliel Saarinen, its design and construction under Eero Saarinen, and the enthusiastic acclaim the campus received upon its opening....This lavishly illustrated account is a unique document of a landmark project, presented in photographs and architectural drawings, interviews, documents, and ephemera, many never before seen."
- mlive.com
