PBS to Produce Documentary on Architect Eero Saarinen

A documentary on the life and work of Eero Saarinen, considered one of the masters of American 20th Century architecture, will be produced for PBS and international distribution thanks to a $350,000 matching grant from Michigan entrepreneur A. Alfred Taubman. The hour-long film, produced and directed by Emmy award winning Peter Rosen, will be presented by Detroit Public Television on PBS in 2014.

Eero Saarinen was one of the most prolific, unorthodox, and controversial masters of 20th Century architecture and design. He was born in Finland and at the age of 13 emigrated to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he attended Cranbrook School, whose campus was designed by his father, legendary architect Eliel Saarinen. Although his career was tragically cut short by his death at age 51 in 1961, Eero was one of the most celebrated architects of his time.

In the post-war decades called "The American Century" he helped create the image of America seen here and abroad as a symbol of America's optimism, influence, and potent symbolic identity. His iconic projects included the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, TWA Terminal at New York's JFK International Airport, the CBS Building (Black Rock) in Manhattan, and the Washington Dulles International Airport. There has been a veritable surge of interest in Saarinen's work in recent years, including a major exhibition and several books.

"The 'Mad Men' style and feel of the '50s was Saarinen's expression of a uniquely American ideal of the new and brash, a country about to dominate the global culture," said director-producer Peter Rosen. "It's exciting to be making this film now on a wave of interest in what our country was like in the innocent 1950s. This will be the backdrop for our story."

"As a life-long Michigan resident, I'm particularly pleased to provide support for this important project," said A. Alfred Taubman. "Eero and his father, both with roots in the Detroit area, transformed our built environment here in the U.S and abroad. And I'm delighted that Detroit Public Television is playing a central role in the production."

In addition to Mr. Rosen, the production team includes a number of internationally recognized architecture and film professionals, including cinematographer Eric Saarinen, Eero's son. The executive producers of "An Architect's Memoir: Eero Saarinen" are Jeff Forster of WTVS and Ferne Margulies of Stan Margulies Company. Consultants and advisors include Robert L. Ziegelman, FAIA; Ilkka Kalliomaa; Aarno Kronvall; and Robert A. M. Stern, Dean of the Yale School of Architecture. The documentary is being produced with the Cooperation of the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, Consulate General of Finland in New York, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, and the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

About Peter Rosen

Peter Rosen has produced and directed over 100 full-length films and television programs which have been distributed world-wide and have won awards at the major international film festivals. He has worked directly with some of the most important figures in the arts such as Leonard Bernstein, Yo-Yo Ma, Beverly Sills, Sherrill Milnes, Stephen Sondheim, Alexander Godunov, Midori, Martha Graham, Placido Domingo, Van Cliburn, Claudio Arrau, Byron Janis, Garrison Keillor, and I. M. Pei.
He won the prestigious Directors Guild of America Award in 1990 for his production "Here to Make Music: The Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition." The show also won a prime-time Emmy Award in 1990, and was called "enriching and inspiring" by the New York Daily News. He was again nominated for the DGA Award in 1998 for his film, "First Person Singular: I. M. Pei". "The Cliburn; Playing on The Edge", with KERA/PBS, sponsored by ExxonMobil, won the prestigious Peabody Award in 2001. Peter Rosen has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell, and a Master's degree from the Yale School of Art and Architecture. His latest film, "God's Fiddler" on violin great Jascha Heifetz is now in Film Festivals and theatres nationwide.

About WTVS

Detroit Public Television (DPTV) began broadcasting in 1955 as WTVS Channel 56, a non-commercial, educational TV station licensed to the Detroit Educational Television Foundation. As a community licensee, DPTV now operates three digital broadcast television channels. DPTV is the only public television station in the Detroit market and Michigan's most watched public station, regularly viewed by some 1.5 million people in southeast Michigan each week. Additionally, DPTV is available to 2.4 million homes throughout Canada via cable and Shaw Direct satellite-to-home.

About A. Alfred Taubman

Alfred Taubman is one of America's most successful entrepreneurs. He is recognized as a pioneer developer and visionary in America's shopping center industry, and at age 88 is active in a wide range of business, civic, cultural, and educational activities around the world. Among his major philanthropic initiatives is the University of Michigan's A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. He is the author of "Threshold Resistance: The Extraordinary Career of a Luxury Retailing Pioneer," his best-selling memoir.

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