Saarinen, Eliel, << SAHR uh nehn, EH lyehl >> (1873-1950), was a Finnish-born American architect. He became internationally famous for the bold and simplified traditional design of his Helsinki railroad station (1904-1914). He also gained recognition for his entry in 1922 in a competition to select a design for the Chicago Tribune Tower.
In 1923, Saarinen settled in the United States. In 1924, he began designing the buildings for what is now the Cranbrook Educational Community, a complex of schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was president of the Cranbrook Academy of Art from 1932 to 1946. From 1937 until his death, Saarinen worked with his son, Eero. But Eliel is chiefly credited with two of their finest works—Tabernacle Church of Christ (1939-1942), now First Christian Church, in Columbus, Indiana; and Christ Church Lutheran (1947-1950) in Minneapolis.
Eliel Saarinen was born on Aug. 20, 1873, in Rantasalmi, near Varkaus. Saarinen died on July 1, 1950.
