General Motors Technical Center

An American icon of modern architecture, the General Motors (GM) Technical Center stands as a model corporate research and development park. Thirty-one buildings were constructed between 1949 and 1985. Conceived in 1944 by Board of Directors Chairman Alfred P. Sloan, the center centralized GM’s research, design, and engineering efforts. Vice President for Styling Harley Earl chose Eliel and Eero Saarinen to design the campus. Eero Saarinen’s International Style buildings are complemented by the grounds he planned with landscape architect Thomas Church. Saarinen also worked with GM’s Argonaut Division, which designed many of the structures. The center is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.