| Cranbrook Educational Community | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | 500 Lone Pine Road Bloomfield Hills, Michigan  United States |
| Built/Founded: | 1926-43 |
| Architect: | Eliel Saarinen Albert Kahn |
| Added to NRHP: | March 7 1973 National Historic Landmark: June 29 1989 |
The Cranbrook Educational Community, a National Historic Landmark, in the U.S. state of Michigan was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. Cranbrook campus is in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills consisting of Cranbrook Kingswood School, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Cranbrook Art Museum, Cranbrook Institute of Science, Cranbrook House and Gardens, and Christ Church Cranbrook. The sprawling, 319-acre (129 hectares) campus began as a 174-acre (70 ha) farm, purchased in 1904. The organization takes its name from Cranbrook, England, the birthplace of the founder's father. Cranbrook is renowned for its architecture in the Arts and Crafts Movement style. The chief architects were Albert Kahn and Eliel Saarinen. Renowned sculptors Carl Milles and Marshall Fredericks also spent many years in residence at Cranbrook.
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Cranbrook Academy of Art
The Cranbrook Academy of Art, located in the affluent Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, MI, is a prominent graduate school of architecture, art and design. Founded in 1932 by philanthropist George Gough Booth and wife Ellen Scripps Booth, it is part of the larger Cranbrook Educational Community, also founded by the couple. The Cranbrook Academy of Art was originally designed and headed by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, who migrated design practices and theories from the arts and crafts movement through the international style. The school continues to be known for its apprenticeship method of teaching, in which a small group of students, usually only 10 to 20 per class (141 students total), study under a single artist-in-residence for the duration of their curriculum.
Degrees and rankings
This method of teaching has proved extremely beneficial for the school, as many of its graduate programs are considered among the best in the country by both US News and World Report and Design Intelligence. The currently confers the following degrees, with 2003 US News national rankings [1] in italics:
- Master of Architecture.(Post-professional degree) Due to Cranbrook's method of teaching, it is important to note that the Master of Architecture degree is unable to be accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.
- Master of Fine Arts. Overall MFA program ranked 5th [2]. Degrees are conferred in the following areas:
- 2-D Design (also known as graphic design), 3rd.
- 3-D Design (also known as industrial design), 3rd. 3rd by Design Intelligence [3].
- Ceramics, 2nd.
- Fiber 7th
- Metalsmithing 1st
- Painting, 10th.
- Photography, 12th.
- Print Media, 8th.
- Sculpture, 5th.
Notable alumni
Famous students include Harry Bertoia, Kim Salander, Gyo Obata, Charles Eames, Ray Eames, Marc Awodey, Maija Grotell, Ralph Rapson, Eero Saarinen, Ed Bacon, Betty Davenport Ford, Florence Knoll (did not graduate), Neils Diffrient, Duane Hanson, Tony Matelli, Nancy Skolos.
Cranbrook Art Museum
The Cranbrook Art Museum is located at the heart of the Cranbrook Educational Community, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan outside of Detroit. It is a museum of contemporary art. Completed in 1942 under the direction of world renowned architect Eliel Saarinen, the museum is housed in the same building as the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Sculptor Carl Milles' numerous works in Metro Detroit include those at Cranbrook Educational Community such as Mermaids & Tritons Fountain (1930), Sven Hedin on a Camel (1932), Jonah and the Whale Fountain {1932}, Orpheus Fountain (1936), and the Spirit of Transportation (1952) at the Detroit Civic Center.[1]
Cranbrook Institute of Science
The Cranbrook Institute of Science is located in the Cranbrook Educational Community, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It is a popular tourist attraction in the Detroit metropolitan area. It includes a permanent collection of scientific artifacts and also displays annual temporary exhibits. It also features a planetarium and a powerful telescope which visitors may peer through on selected nights. The museum grounds feature a life-sized statue of a stegosaurus, as well as a koi pond.
See also
- Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
- Cranbrook Kingswood
- List of Eye magazine issues - (No.3, Vol 1. Spring 1991)
- Tourism in metropolitan Detroit
Notes
- ^ Baulch, Vivian M. (September 6, 1999).Carl Milles, Cranbrook's favorite sculptor. Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
References and further reading
- Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
