A few weeks ago I wrote about my recent visit to Detroit. During that trip, my traveling companions and I were also able to get out to Bloomfield HIlls, about 30 minutes outside the city, to visit the Cranbrook Academy of Art. I’ve visited Cranbrook several times over the years and it’s always impressive. But this visit was particularly intriguing as we were able to pin down the director of the amazingly influential school, Reed Kroloff, and coax him into giving us a full-blown tour of the grounds.
The shot above is of the spot where Kroloff likes to begin any tour he gives because it is so illustrative of Eliel Saarinen’s unique take on architecture and design. Saarinen (the Finnish architect responsible for the design of most of the school) was known for combining the the urbane Art Deco style with a more earthy Arts and Crafts aesthetic. It was this Arts and Crafts influence that undoubtedly led to the architect’s obsession with creating near perfect symmetry and then tweaking it slightly as a tip of the hat to nature. Saarinen is famous for saying “Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context—a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.”
Saarinen came to the United States in 1923 after his entry into the Tribune Tower design competition in Chicago famously failed to net him the commission. His design, featuring one of the first set backs in a skyscraper, came in second but was realized as the Gulf Building in Houston in 1929. Still, Saarinen never forgave the Tribune and his subtle (or not so subtle) reminders can be seen throughout the Cranbrook grounds.
Saarinen, as seen by his adherence to many Arts and Crafts principles, was always a proponent of evidence of the hand in all his work and encouraged the crafts people he worked with to not be shy about exhibiting their maker’s marks and you can see the idiosyncrasies everywhere. (Below, the front doors to Kroloff’s home, originally designed by Saarinen for the sculptor Carl Milles).
Kroloff’s home in and of itself is like a mini tour of Cranbrook history, featuring, of course, Saarinen furniture (Eliel’s son, Eero’s Tulip table and chairs below) as well as art by many of the artists in residence at the school, including Mark Newport, whose hand-knit superhero costumes have garnered a lot of attention in the last few years.
And Milles’ studio, part of the home, is envy inducing even as a work in progress.
Kroloff and his partner, Casey Jones, are in the midst of making the studio a functioning space but the light and floor-to-ceiling-plus windows (above) make the space special regardless. (Below, Kroloff and Jones have a little fun while figuring out what to do with the space.)
Cranbrook is a great reminder of how important the Midwest has been to the development of American design. It’s impossible to even talk about mid-century modernism without thinking about Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, Donald Albinson, Eero Saarinen, and Florence Knoll—all Cranbrook alumni. And while the coasts have always been good at touting their accomplishments, the Midwest has preferred to quietly go about their work and in the process create so much art, architecture, and design that has such heavy influence on the way we live to this day. Cranbrook is well worth a visit and if you find yourself in the Detroit area, it is an essential stop. Though the grounds are always exquisite and inspiring, you might want to consider making your way there when it warms up a bit…
