Tag Archives: Eliel Saarinen

Freakin’ Tiquen 2023 – Destination Detroit Part 4 – Cranbrook

Vintage postcard of Detroit Michigan.

Vintage postcard of Detroit, Michigan. Image from amazon.com.

Detroit, day four. We spent a wonderful afternoon at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Cranbrook is a leading center for education, science and art, and we enjoyed a terrific tour of the Saarinen House.

Day Four

Cranbrook Academy of Art

With no plans for the day other than our afternoon tour of the Saarinen House, Chris and I spent a leisurely morning at the hotel. After lunch we started off for Cranbrook. The drive through some of Detroit’s most affluent suburbs to Bloomfield Hills only took a half an hour. We really lucked out, the day before there were periods of rain showers, but this day was one of those perfect summer days, not hot, pleasantly breezy with a blue sky dotted with white clouds.

We arrived around 1:45 and since our Saarinen House tour was not until 3:00, we had time to explore the grounds. I do not know if it is like this all through the year, or because school is not is session, but the campus was so amazingly serene and peaceful.

Sculpture

On the way from the parking lot to the main campus the sculpture the Lynx and her Young (1935) by Jussi Mäntynen (1886 – 1978) guard the steps up the library and museum. Eliel Saarinen purchased them for the Cranbrook Foundation in 1938.

Lynx and her Young (1935) by Jussi Mäntynen. At the entrance to the Cranbrook Art Academy's Library and Museum.

Lynx and her Young (1935) by Jussi Mäntynen. Photo by the authors.

At the top of the  stairs,  the Orpheus Fountain by Swedish sculptor, Carl Milles’ (1875 – 1955) stands directly in front of the loggia.

Carl Milles Orpheus Fountain at Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Carl Milles – Orpheus Fountain (1938). Photo by the authors.

Installed in 1938, the eight figures were recast from the Orpheus Group Milles created for the forecourt of the concert hall at Hötorget in Stockholm.

And directly south of the loggia steps, stands Carl Milles’ 1935 Europa and the Bull.

Europa and the Bull (1935) at Cranbrook Art Academy.

Europa and the Bull (1935). Photo by the authors.

Just below Europa and the Bull is the Triton Pool. In it are Milles’, circa 1926, cast bronze figures of Tritons and dolphins ready to escort the bull (Zeus) and Europa across the sea to Crete.

The Triton Pool looking toward the Museum, loggia and Library.

The Triton Pool. Photo by the authors.

At the southern end of the campus there is Sunglitter another Carl Milles piece. This was the first of the 71 Milles sculptures that were collected for Cranbrook by its founder George Booth.

Sunglitter, by Carl Milles, 1918.

Sunglitter, 1918. Recast in 2002. Photo by the authors.

At the very southern end of the campus, on top of two brick columns are a pair of Sitting Boars, cast in 1929 by Carl Milles. The two boars watch over the Nichols Gate, designed by Eliel Saarinen and Walter Nichols. This gate is named in honor of Nichols who served as Cranbrook’s blacksmith for 35 years.

Nichols Gate.

Nichols Gate at the southern end of the campus. Photo by the authors.

After exploring the campus it was getting close to 3:00 PM the time for the Saarinen House tour. The starting point for the tour was under the loggia between the library and the museum.

Cranbrook campus looking north towards the library and museum.

The Cranbrook Academy of Art campus, looking north towards the library and museum. Photo by the authors.

 

Library & Museum

The main entrance to the Cranbrook Academy Museum and Library.

The main entrance to Cranbrook Art Academy Museum and Library. Photo by the authors.

Construction of the library and the museum began in May, 1940. Design by Eliel Saarinen in buff yellow brick and Mankato limestone his design was partially inspired by the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris from the 1937 Paris World’s Fair. The fair that ushered in the design trends that would dominate in the post World War Two decades. The building’s design anticipates the International Style of architecture that came to prominence in the 1950s.

Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris at the 1937 Paris World's Fair.

Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Completed in 1942, the museum and library were originally intended to be the first section of quadrangle, but the proposed buildings did not come to fruition.

 

On the east and west sides of the hard limestone paved loggia are the entrances to the museum and library.

Set back in the limestone are the copper doors leading to both the library and the museum. At night the incised cement loggia ceiling is indirectly lit from a large limestone fixture in the middle of the loggia.

Loggia ceiling and limestone lighting fixture.

The cement ceiling and limestone lighting fixture. Photo by the authors.

Unfortunately, after our tour there was not enough time to enjoy the library or the museum. Which gives us an excuse to make a return visit in the future.

Southern facade of the loggia and library at Cranbrook.

Southern facade of the Library and Loggia. Photo by the authors.

Saarinen House

Plaque for the Saarinen House.

Saarinen House plaque next to the front door. Photo by the authors.

The walk from the museum and library to the Saarinen House was short and it took us back to the southern end of the campus, where we went exploring earlier.

If you have not seen photos of the Saarinen house interior the exterior gives no hint of the the amazing Art Deco design inside. From the outside it resembles brick row houses found in England.

Exterior of the Saarinen House at Cranbrook.

Ivy covered exterior of the Saarinen House. Photo by the authors.

Tours are given seasonally once a day from 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May – November. Reservations must be made in advance. For more tour  information click here.

The Saarinen House is the “jewel of Cranbrook’s architectual treasures”. Designed in the late 1920s, from 1930 through 1950 it served as the home as studio of Finnish-American designer Eliel Saarinen (1873 – 1950), and his wife Loja Saarinen (1879 – 1968). Eliel was the first head of the academy’s Architectural Department and Loja the first head of the Weaving Department. The restored interior features Eliel’s furniture and Loja textiles as well as son Eero’s early furniture designs and daughter’s Pipsan’s decorative designs. After Eliel’s death Loja moved out in 1951 and subsequent Cranbrook Academy of Arts presidents moved in and made many changes to the residence. In 1977, during the presidency of Roy Slade plans for a Saarinen House restoration began. With the full restoration undertaken between 1988 to 1994 under the direction of Art Museum Curator Gregory Wittkopp returning the house to its mid-1930s appearance.

Living Room

First on the tour is the living room. A wonderful, long Loja Saarinen rug (mimicking the house’s exterior brickwork), running almost the length of the room directs your eye to the fireplace. Eliel Saarinen originally designed the fireplace and bronze, peacock andirons for the The Architect and the Industrial Arts – An Exhibition of Contemporary Design show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1929. The Sterling Bronze Co. of New York, which collaborated with the best architects of the day created the peacock andirons. Featured in a dinning room during the exhibition, Saarinen it installed into his residence once the show closed.

Loja Saarinen rug and fireplace and andirons from the 1929 Metropolitan Museum of Art show.

Living Room – with Loja Saarinen rug leading to the fireplace. Photo by the authors.

The fireplace surround is made from Pewabic tiles from Saarinen’s design and made by Mary Perry Chase Stratton. Pewabic is a Detroit pottery company and one of the oldest operating potteries in the United States.

 

A detail of the living room corner, showing chair, floor lamp, fireplace and andiron.

Detail – Living room corner. Photo by the authors.

Two patinated, bronze, uplighter floor lamps frame the fireplace. The main stem of the lamp rises out of a fluted, bowed outward upper base and culminates in a segmented bronze bowl that shines the light up to the ceiling. Edward F. Caldwell and Company manufactured the lamps as well as all the others in the house. The combination of the indirect light and the golden grasscloth wall covering, bathes the room in a warm glow.

Floor to ceiling book shelves line the walls of the Book Room with a large window that looks out the front of the house completes is just off the living room. Two large overstuffed chairs provide a comfortable place to read in the afternoon.

The Book Room reading nook just off the living room.

The Book Room off the living room. Photo by the authors.

Hanging above the nook table is a lamp that features two bronze bowls that mimic the bowls of the floor lamps. The large one facing down to give the table illumination, the small upper bowl provides indirect lighting to the nook.

Though Saarinen designed the furniture in the living room (as well as other rooms of the house) its construction was by Tor Berglund. Berglund a Swedish craftsman working in Cranbrook’s cabinet shop used greenhart, African walnut, rosewood and maple veneers and silk and linen upholstry for the chairs. They are a perfect example of Cranbrook’s team work between design and construction. The one living room design exception is the globe table, that was designed by Robert F. Swanson (1900 – 1981), the Saarinen’s son-in-law.

 

Dining Room

Dinning room of the Saarinen House.

Saarinen House dinning room. Photo by the authors.

Just off the living room is the dining room. The square rug with octagonal pattern mimics the shape of the room. From the ceiling of concentric circles a brass chandelier hangs from the gold gilded dome which bathes the room with soft indirect light.

Brass dining room chandelier hanging from the gilded dome.

Detail of the brass dining room chandelier. Photo by the authors.

The warm tones of the living room continue in the dining room with its honey oak paneled walls. And adding a bursts of color in the room are the corner niches with their Chinese red paint.

Dining room corner niche.

Dining room corner niche. Photo by the authors.

Made by The Company of Master Craftsman, the Saarinen designed dining chairs are  fir with black ocher paint. The fluted back chairs feature red horsehair upholstery. A very clever feature of the inlaid, round dining room table is the ability to remove the outer rim, allowing for more intimate dinner parties.

Dining room table's outer rim leaves. Photo by the authors.

Dining room table’s outer rim leaves. Photo by the authors.

Dominating the dining room’s interior wall is a large tapestry depicting birds in a tree. The tapestry is a creation of Finnish textile artist Greta Skogster (1900 – 1994) and installed in the room around 1938.

Greta Skogster's tapestry of birds in a tree in the Saarinen House dining room.

Greta Skogster’s 1938 tapestry of birds in a tree. Photo by the authors.

Studio

The Saarinen House studio.

The Saarinen House Studio. Photo by the authors.

Just off the living is the studio. Divided into three parts, the first being the alcove, that Loja dubbed the “cozy corner”. The “cozy corner” features a built in bench covered by a green-patterned ryijy. The low ceiling space is illuminate by another indirect lighting patinated bronze, bowl chandelier. This is where the Saarinen’s entertained guest ranging from their grand children to legendary architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Alva Aalto and Le Corbusier.

The "Cozy Corner".

The studio’s “Cozy Corner”. Photo by the authors.

The largest section of the studio is the barrel-vaulted work room where Eliel and Loja spent most of their time. Drafting tables normally filled the center of the room. But for Holidays and other special occasions the tables were moved and a rug laid down. The rug in the space today is a replica of the original design, and this was the way the Saarinen’s had the room photographed in the mid-1930s.

The Studio Rug.

The replica rug in the studio and Eero Saarinen’s tubular steel chairs. Photo by the authors.

Tubular steel chairs designed by Eero Saarinen for the auditorium of the Kingswood School for Girls line both sides of the studio’s main room.

Eliel’s office occupied the far end of the studio. The large Streamline Moderne desk is where he did the majority of his work.

While not far away, between the studio’s office area and the work room, are a bar buffet (another Robert F. Swanson design) and the built in the wall radio-phonograph.

 

Upstairs

Wedding ryijy

Original Finnish wedding ryijy photo by the authors

Our tour continued heading up a narrow and steep set of stairs. On the wall to the left is a Finnish 1798 wedding ryijy. Loja Saarinen was a big collector of art. And especially art from Finland.

Landing at Saarinen House

From L to R: utility closet, linen closet and guest bathroom. Photo by the authors

At the landing, three doors greet you. The left is a closet and used for general storage, cleaning products, etc, The center is a linen closet and the guest bathroom is to the right. Individual floral design decorate each door.  Saarinen’s daughter, Pipsan, hand painted each design.

Continuing down the hallway is a series of three doors each leading to a bedroom. Note that each door also has a unique floral design. And are more than decorative.

As a rare, and privileged overnight guest of the Saarinen’s, you receive a card with a particular design. Match the design to the door and you would find your accommodations. These rooms are not part of the general tour.

Unseen on the tour is a fourth bedroom for the servant. It had a private privy and access to stairs leading to the kitchen below.

The breakfast nook

The breakfast nook Photo by the authors

A small open area fitted out with a table and a settle bench designed by Eliel is at the end of hall. This is the family’s breakfast nook. The fabric covering the benches is original and designed by Loja. The carpet is another Finnish piece of art.

Curtains designed Loja and woven in her studio

Curtains designed Loja and woven in her studio

The curtains are another Loja design and woven at her studio. The design is a stylized narrative of the Kalevala, the mythical god who created Finland by pulling it out of the Baltic Sea. While not original, they are not quite reproductions either. These are the third iteration of the original designs.

So why are they not reproductions? Made of the same fibers, dyed, and spun as the original were. And woven on the same looms, following the same weaving directions as the original. So, what would you call them?

Moving into the master suite you are immediately taken by the soothing colors and elegant layout.

Dressing table

Loja’s dressing table Photo by the authors

Immediately to your right is a long dressing table flanked with storage draws designed to look like closets. On the dressing table is a bespoke vanity set designed by the Saarinen’s son, Eero.

Vanity set designed by Eero for his mother

Vanity set designed by Eero for his mother Photo by the authors

Detail of Vanity set

Detail of Vanity set Photo by the authors

As you turn into the room, and on the right, is a large seating area upholstered in the original coral and gold fabric. In front of this is an Art Deco coffee-table painted in a soft grey-green.

Saarinen Master Suite

Saarinen Master Suite Photo by the authors

Note the Womb Chair (on the right) designed by Eliel in 1949. It was the second one produced by a former student Florence Knolls. It remains a popular design that continues to be produced through today. Separate master / mistress’ beds are directly across the room.

The built in Art Deco side table between the beds reflects the same design and color as the coffee table. Note the conveniently placed outlets above. No detail was considered too small to be overlooked.

The most noticeable feature of the room is the triptych set of mirrors. The left and rightmost doors as well as the mirror doors immediately adjacent to them are actual clothes closets., The mirrored doors flanking the central door, when opened inward, form a three-sided dressing mirror. The surprise is that the center mirror is the entrance to the master bath.

The Master Bathroom

The Master Bathroom boasted the most up-to-date convivences Photo by the authors

Covered in tile, the bathroom boasts of the most modern comforts available. His and her sinks on opposite ends,

A private toilet room, standing shower for him, and soaking tub for her. Showers were relatively new and thought they were not safe for women. The bathmat and towels are another Loja design.

This private suite is just that. The design is strictly a space for Loja and Eliel. However, I like to imagine Loja curling up with her grandson in the sitting area reading stories together or Eliel playing games with the him before sending him off to bed.

The sitting area

The sitting area Photo by the author

From here, visitors are escorted back down to the main floor as the tour has ended. Our guide was more than willing to answer a few questions. However, tours are booked on a tight schedule. Therefore, do not expect an expansive question and answer period.

A somewhat warm day, both of us were parched. And at least one of us required the comfort room. The museum & gift shop offered a small offering of select beverages. Not wanting anything too heavy, we opted to try Fora, the red drink…juicy and delicate. How can we describe that elusive taste? That delicate bouquet? Let us try.

Fora - a mouthful of flora

Fora – a mouthful of flora Photo by the authors

It was a mouthful of fizzy roses and hibiscus. Overwhelmingly heavy on both flavors it was neither juicy nor delicate. But it was awful…Blah!

 

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’ Tiquen Guys)

Sources

Publications

Cranbrook Academy of Art Outdoor Sculpture Guide, 2014 – Guide design by Kelsey Dusenka, Photography by Judy Dyki

Duncan, Alastair, American Art Deco, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1986

Elliot, Rebecca, Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow, Saarinen House and Garden Vistor’s Guide, 2005-2007

Pencil Points – December, 1943

Video

Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research: S01E02: Tour of the Friends and Vistors to Saarinen House

Websites

artandarchitecture-sf.com

center.cranbrook.edu

michiganmodern.org

Vanished New York City Art Deco – The Richard Hudnut Salon

Detail rendering of the entrance to the Richard Hudnut Salon.

Architectural detail drawing of the entrance to the Richard Hudnut Salon at 693 Fifth Avenue. From a June 1, 1931 advertisement in the New York Times. Image from proquest.com.

In June 1931 the Richard Hudnut salon opened its new building at 693 Fifth Avenue. Here was another business contributing in making the ten block stretch from 50th to 60th Streets the most posh shopping center in the United States. It was New York’s equivalent of the Rue de la Paix in Paris or Bond Street in London. This is where all the high society ladies came to shop, lunch and gossip. And the chic, new Hudnut salon became one of their popular destinations. Ladies could purchase cosmetics, perfume, get a manicure, facial treatment or take exercise classes. The 1939 film The Women, perfectly parodies the Hudnut salon as the fictitious Sydney’s * (See Note).

 

Richard Hudnut circa, 1900.

Richard Hudnut, circa 1900. Image from cosmeticsandskin.com.

The son of a New York City pharmacist, Richard Hudnut (1855 – 1928) made his fortune as the first American to achieve international success in the cosmetic industry.  And after graduating from Princeton University, Hudnut went to France to investigate their perfume and cosmetic companies. Upon his return to the United States he established his company of selling French style makeup and perfumes to American women. He registered his name as a trademark in both France and the United States. And he transformed his family drugstore into a a cosmetics showroom. Hudnut eventually became so successful that he maintained business headquarters in New York City and Paris. Once making his fortune he retired in 1916. Hudnut sold his business to William R. Warner and Company. Under the new management the Hudnut company continued to flourish. So in 1930 they began construction of an elegant new Fifth Avenue showroom.

 

The commission for the building was awarded to two of the top architects of the time. This new Richard Hudnut Salon would be a collaboration between Ely Jacques Kahn (1884 -1 972) and Eliel Saarinen (1873 – 1950).

 

Ely Jacques Kahn, circa 1930.

Ely Jacques Kahn, circa 1930. Image from library.columbia.edu

 

By 1930 Kahn was one of the most prolific architects in New York City.  Working within the guidelines of the 1916 zoning resolution, his skyscrapers are text book examples of the set back style imposed by that law. Such buildings as 120 Wall Street, the Film Center Building, 100 Park Avenue and the Squibb Building are surviving examples of his best moderne work.

 

 

 

Eliel Saarinen, circa 1940.

Eliel Saarinen, circa 1940. Image from mfa.fi.

 

To label Finnish-American Saarinen just an architect is an understatement. Yes, he was an architect who had a major influence in the field. Similar to Frank Lloyd Wright, Saarinen often designed the interiors of his buildings along with the exteriors. Saarinen soon established himself as one of Finland’s top architects. After coming in second in the Chicago Tribune Tower competition, Saarinen and family moved to the United States in 1923. For the rest of his life, Saarinen continued as a leader not only in architecture but design as well.

 

The Architectural Forum said this about the collaboration:

If Ely Jacques Kahn and Eliel Saarinen should join forces in designing a shop building, the result would be interesting. As a matter of fact, they did and the result was. 

The Architectural Forum – September, 1931, Pg. 9.

Opening on June 1, 1931 the new Fifth Avenue building stood just north of 54th Street on a lot only 25 feet wide. The much larger Aeolian Building was right next door to the south. And whose ground floor tenant was the Hudnut cosmetic competitor, Elizabeth Arden.

 

New York Herald-Tribune ad ofJune 1, 1931 opening day advertisement for the Richard Hudnut Salon.

Richard Hudnut Salon opening day advertisement, June 1, 1931. New York Herald-Tribune, Pg. 32. Image from proquest.com.

 

The exterior design of the Hudnut salon fell solely to Saarinen. The narrow façade helped to make the building seem taller than its six stories. The only decoration of the marble clad façade were two implied pilasters and a simple friezelike pattern along the roofline.  At the street level two recessed bronze doors framing a shop window provided entrance to the salon. Elegant, raised Ambrac letters spelling Richard Hudnut were placed above the window. Saarinen’s clever trick of dividing the glazing of the upper floors into many panes, prevented the tenants from placing advertising in the windows.

 

The exterior the Richard Hudnut Salon, 1931.

The exterior of the Richard Hudnut Salon at 693 Fifth Avenue, 1931. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

Ground floor detail, Richard Hudnut Salon.

Ground floor detail of the Richard Hudnut Salon, 693 Fifth Avenue, 1931.(Photo by Irving Browning/The New York Historical Society/Getty Images)

 

As elegant as the exterior, the interior was even more so. Covering the terrazzo floor was a yellow and gray rug designed and woven by Loja Saarinen (wife of Eliel Saarinen). Adding to the richness of the salon was the casework and ceilings of zebra and primavera woods.

 

Door and woodwork detail on the ground floor of the Richard Hudnut salon.

Richard Hudnut door detail. This picture is a good example of the fine woodwork on the ground floor of the salon. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

A bold nickel silver frame surrounded the recessed gold dome of the lounge.  The woodwork and the bold metal work of circles and triangles was Kahn’s influence on the interior decoration. But all the elegant furniture is directly attributable to Saarinen.

 

1931 main room showroom and lounge.

Main floor showroom and lounge, 1931. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

 

Richard Hudnut Salon lounge ceiling detail, 1931.

Lounge ceiling detail showing dome and nickel silver frame, 1931. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

 

By taking a private elevator patrons gained access to the second floor reception. The mirror lined reception room led to the individual treatment rooms.

 

Second floor reception room.

Second floor salon reception room, 1931. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

Richard Hudnut Salon second floor reception room.

Another angle showing the second floor reception room and the decorative use of the wall mirrors, 1931. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

 

Dominating the ceiling of the reception room was a large light fixture. The mixed metal and glass, 8 point star infused the space with soft indirect lighting. It is likely this was another Kahn design.

 

Reception room ceiling light detail.

Reception room ceiling light detail. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

Second floor reception room lounge.

Lounge off the second floor reception room. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

Treatment room in the Richard Hudnut Salon.

The place to be pampered. A second floor treatment room of the Richard Hudnut Salon. Photograph by Nyholm & Lincoln. From the collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

 

In 1955 the Warner-Hudnut Company merged with Lambert Pharmacal Company. And it was around this time the Richard Hudnut Salon closed its doors. Today a Valentino designer store occupies the site of the salon and its neighbor to the north. While still an upscale establishment, it definitely lacks the elegance of the Kahn & Saarinen design of ninety years ago.

 

The Richard Hudnut Salon in 1948.

A 1948 photograph showing the Richard Hudnut Salon and its Fifth Avenue neighbors. The black and white doorway to the right is the Elizabeth Arden shop. Wurts Brothers photograph. Image from the Museum of the City of New York.

 

2019 view of 693 Fifth Avenue.

693 Fifth Avenue, June, 2019. Image from Google Maps.

 

* Originally I had mistakenly said the name of the fictitious salon in the movie The Women was Blacks. Laurie Gordon has correctly informed me that the salon in the film was Sydney’s. Thank you, Laurie.

Sources:

New York 1930: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Two World Wars

The Architectural Forum

Cosmeticsandskin.com

The New York Herald-Tribune

 

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)