The book is titled Where Today Meets Tomorrow: Eero Saarinen and the General Motors Technical Center, and it includes photographs, architectural drawings, interviews, documents, and an unprecedented level of insight on the process of creating such an iconic project. When referencing the design, Skarsgard comments: “Every detail is prototypical — they didn’t go off-the-shelf for anything, whether trim work, door handles, and every bit of hardware and wall covering — it’s all completely designed for that space.”

The General Motors Technical Center is located in Warren, Michigan and was Saarinen’s first-ever solo project. Of course, that doesn’t mean this task wasn’t also the brain child of several talented midcentury artists, including names such as Harry Bertoia, Alexander Girard, Florence Knoll, and Alexander Calder. 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.

The photos in the book give a full picture of the atmosphere around and within the center. The facilities resemble a wide, sweeping campus and cost around 100 million dollars to create. The center has 38 buildings and accommodates over 20,000 employees. The photos also show us the “Design Dome,” which is based on the steel and metals commonly used to make automobiles. The dome is used to display GM’s new product line and is considered the heart of the campus. We’re even given an ariel view of the entire facility, including “The Lake” and its stainless steel water tower.

The book also gives us access to the interiors of the buildings previously seen only by employees and insiders. The technical center’s simple, crisp lobby features large glass windows, reflective tables, and large rectangular arm chairs. The dining area, while also overwhelming linear, incorporates a splash of orange and lush greenery. Everything about the look is minimal and sophisticated while still maintaining comfort.

Eero Saarinen was a famous Finnish-American architect known for multiple high-profile projects. Some of his designs include the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri and the TWA Flight Center of the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. While architectural design obviously made up a large chunk of his adult life, it was also a considerable part of his childhood. This is because he was the son of acclaimed Finnish architect Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen. Subsequently, Eero’s upbringing and European influences allowed him to become a leader in the International style for architecture, which is similar to modernism but originated in Europe post-WWI.

While Eero did have big shoes to fill growing up, he certainly left a large shadow of his own, designing some of America’s most iconic landmarks.

Photos courtesy of James Haefner

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Improbable Beginnings

Sam Grawe, former brand director for enigmatic designer Herman Miller, was happy living with his wife and son in the San Francisco Bay area for 15 years. In fact, when the family began toying with the idea of moving to Michigan so Sam could be closer to Miller’s headquarters, the couple had just purchased an Eichler home in upscale Marin County.
Despite the sudden change in lifestyle, the Grawes managed to find the perfect home in Grand Rapids (about an hour away from Miller’s headquarters). Designed by local architect Richard Wright in the 1970s, Sam recalls being particularly smitten by the big bronze panels hanging on its front doors. Coupled with the rest of the home’s architecture, that bronze proved irresistible. “It just seemed like this totally bizarre, Brutalist, postmodern house,” he recalls.

Visionary Potential

The Grawes immediately saw the potential hidden behind the home’s 70s trappings, which had obviously been built to the highest possible standards of the decade. An intercom system had been installed for communication between all rooms, the home’s walls were covered with upscale Evelyn Ackerman wood panels interspersed with elegant grasscloth, and chic teak parquet floors abounded. A particularly opulent Koi pond even graced the landing of the central stairway.

Not long after they moved in, Grawe started doing some rough sketches of his visions for the house in Adobe Illustrator and presented them to Becker & Sanders, a local contractor recommended to him by a fellow Herman Miller associate.
Eventually, every floor and wall in the home was resurfaced, otherwise altered, or removed entirely. The Grawes notably knocked out a wall in the dining room and got rid of a kitchen bar. Simultaneously, they also preserved several aspects from the original design, including the unique front doors (sans the brass panels) and their diminutive rosewood door handles, as well as the striking brown glazed bricks in the foyer.

Since both Grawes are passionate about cooking, it’s no surprise that their kitchen was completely overhauled, with matching state-of-the-art appliances now filling the space and a charming nook displaying their cookbook collection on one end. The room’s rough walls (and the walls all throughout the home) were smoothed out to soft, silky finishes, and huge skylights were put in above the central staircase to flood the space with natural light. Original furniture pieces are mingled with new styles to strike an ideal balance. Sam was particularly delighted to find a classic George Nelson coffee table from the 1960s for the home — a piece he’d desired for a long time.

The Grawes did nothing to alter the house’s exterior, as they already felt that it was perfect, including the windows graced with Romanesque arch detailing. Although the family will soon be moving out of the dream house, they cherish the memories they have of watching their sons grow up in it and will never forget its magical ambiance. “Even when there’s snow covering the skylights, light in the house is always great, no matter [the] season,” Sam fondly reminisces.

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