A New York architect recalls an extraordinary birthday 45 years ago, when, as a young student, he met a constellation of Modernism's stars, all in a single day.
Well before her marriage to Eero Saarinen in 1954, Aline was a cultural force and vigorous defender of modern architecture, at a time when much of America was dubious about contemporary design.
This leading 20th-century reformer and activist helped introduce the socially minded goals of European architects to America through her seminal 1934 book, Modern Housing.
The architectural historian and critic's intelligence, style, commitment, and courage made architects and the general public pay attention to her words.
"The Bauhaus is the Keith Richards of design schools," writes John Ronan. "Influential, legendary, and stubbornly refusing to die." In this essay, the Chicago-based architect asks why we are still talking about the Bauhaus—and why no design school in the intervening century has superseded its influence.