Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

If you happen to visit Washington DC in the near future, then you should make your way over to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.   Why, you ask?  Well, because it was the last building designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.  Finished in 1972, it is the only building he designed in the nation's capital.  It is a classic International Style structure located at 901 G Street (also next to 9th Street) NW.

The library was designated historic landmark status in 2007 by the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board.  This is timely in an era of urban renovation.

Step inside and you will also find several of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's iconic Barcelona Chairs (pictured above).  You can take the Metro's Green, Red, and Yellow lines to Gallery Place-Chinatown and avoid parking worries.

"Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future"

The Museum of the City of New York is sponsoring an exhibit titled "Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future." The exhibit is open to the public now until January 10, 2010.

Saarinen, who left Finland in 1923, became one of America's greatest modernist architects.  Saarinen's work includes the well-known Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri, the Trans World Airlines Terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and the Dulles International Airport Terminal in Chantilly, Virginia.  Some of his other equally fascinating architectural examples include Case Study House #9 (designed with Charles Eames) in Pacific Palisades, California, the Kresge Auditorium and Chapel at MIT, the Irwin Miller House in Columbus, Indiana, Kramer Chapel in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center.  This is only a partial list of Saarinen's architectural accomplishments. 

Saarinen also made an indelible mark on modern furniture design.  Saarinen's Womb chair and ottoman, and his Tulip chair variations remain favorites among modern collections worldwide.