Eliel Saarinen's Tribune Tower design, also called the Saarinen tower, was an unbuilt design for a

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

by Finnish architect

Eliel Saarinen Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish and American Architecture, architect known for his work with Art Nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Ee ...

. It was submitted in 1922 for the

architectural competition An architectural competition is a type of design competition, in which an entity that intends to build new work, or is just seeking ideas, invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning scheme is usually chosen by an independent panel ...

organized by the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' for their new headquarters. The winning entry, the

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

Tribune Tower The Tribune Tower is a , 36-floor Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic skyscraper located at 435 Magnificent Mile, North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The early 1920s international design competition for the tower bec ...

, was constructed in 1925. Saarinen's entry came in second place but had a significant influence on the design of numerous future buildings.

Background

In 1921–22, the

competition was held to determine the design for the new headquarters of the ''Chicago Tribune'', a major American metropolitan newspaper. The competition garnered 260 entries, and the first place honor was awarded to a design by New York architects John Mead Howells and

Raymond Hood Raymond Mathewson Hood (March 29, 1881 – August 14, 1934) was an American architect who worked in the Gothic Revival architecture, Neo-Gothic and Art Deco styles. He is best known for his designs of the Tribune Tower, American Radiator Building ...

. Their

building was completed in 1925. Eliel Saarinen received $20,000 for his second-place finish, although his design was never constructed. Many observers considered Saarinen's simplified yet soaring setback tower to be the most fitting entry, and his innovative modernist design exerted a significant influence on subsequent architectural projects. Although Saarinen was an experienced architect, he had never previously undertaken the design of a skyscraper. To develop his noteworthy design, he drew inspiration from the upward sweep of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

, which he then elevated as his primary design principle, emphasizing verticality. He emphasized that through "logical construction," each element of the design was intended to contribute to the overall goal of verticality.Solomonson 2003, p. 175. Saarinen submitted the design at the age of 49, and the following year he relocated from Finland to the Chicago area. While in the U.S., he contributed to an overall design for the Chicago lakefront, and he lectured at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. However, none of his skyscraper designs were ever built. Nonetheless, others found success by incorporating his visionary ideas. Co-winner of the Tribune Tower competition, Raymond Hood, adopted Saarinen's skyscraper style for several subsequent projects.Solomonson 2003, p. 247. Additionally, other contemporary architects, including Timothy L. Pflueger,

George W. Kelham George William Kelham (1871–1936) was an American architect, he was most active in the San Francisco Bay Area. Biography Born in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, Manchester, Massachusetts, Kelham was educated at Harvard University and g ...

, Hubbell and Benes,

Holabird & Roche The architect, architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago school (architectu ...

, Alfred C. Finn, and James Edwin Ruthven Carpenter Jr., as well as later architect

César Pelli César Pelli (October 12, 1926 – July 19, 2019) was an Argentine architect who designed some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. Three of his most notable buildings are the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Wo ...

, emulated Saarinen's design.

Reception

Respected Chicago architect

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago school (architecture), Chicago ...

offered high praise to Saarinen's design, and said that his building indicated the future direction for the old Chicago School. Sullivan named Saarinen his stylistic successor. Chicago architects Thomas Tallmadge and

Irving Kane Pond Irving Kane Pond (May 1, 1857 – September 29, 1939) was an Americans, American architect, college athlete, and author. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Pond attended the University of Michigan and received a degree in civil engineering in 1879. ...

were also very vocal in their praise for Saarinen. Pond said Saarinen's design was by far the best contest entry, that it was devoid of the superficial adornments featured on the winning entry, and free of the "stranglehold of conventional forms." Tallmadge projected that Saarinen's design would be transformative for American skyscrapers. He said that under Saarinen's hand, the spirit of the skyscraper, "rid of its inhibitions and suppressed desires... leaps in joyous freedom to the sky."

Skyscraper Museum The Skyscraper Museum is an architecture museum in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, founded in 1996. The museum focuses on high-rise buildings as "products of technology, objects of design, sites of construction ...

director Carol Willis, and art consultant Franck Mercurio, curator at the

Field Museum The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

in Chicago, offer moderating modern views about the influence of Saarinen's design. Willis notes that setback architecture was being implemented in New York City highrises because of 1916 zoning ordinances related to building height and sunlight, and that Saarinen's design was understood to be an embodiment of this trend. Mercurio points to the Tribune Tower competition entry from American architect Bertram Goodhue as having the same modernist features as Saarinen's, with dramatic setbacks but a more pronounced simplification of the exterior. Mercurio argues that Goodhue's design is a better example of modernism because it has less ornamentation. Goodhue's entry gained him honorable mention but no cash award.

Buildings influenced

The following buildings are regarded to have been influenced by Saarinen's 1922 design.

References

{{reflist

External links

The Chicago Tribune Competition
Skyscraper Museum Buildings and structures by Finnish architects Unbuilt buildings and structures in the United States Chicago Tribune 1920s architecture in the United States Art Deco architecture in Illinois Architecture in Chicago Newspaper headquarters in the United States Tribune Tower design