Eero Saarinen designed Kresge Auditorium, MIT Building W16, at 48 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. This auditorium was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen; its ground-breaking took place in 1953 and it was dedicated in 1955. The building bears the name of its principal funder, Sebastian S. Kresge, founder of S. S. Kresge Stores, the corporate predecessor of Kmart, and of the Kresge Foundation.
Saarinen conceived Kresge in tandem with his nearby MIT Chapel; the two buildings face one another across a green space called the Kresge Oval. Together they are recognized as one of the best examples of mid-century modern architecture in the United States. When they were new, the Auditorium served as the place where MIT students and faculty could gather for formal events, while the Chapel was intended for marriages and memorials.
The green that stretches between them, following the tradition of early‑American urban planning, was meant to serve as the setting for civic events. The campus has since grown around these buildings, but their intended social and civic roles remain written into their siting. Marriages and memorials belonged to the Chapel across the Kresge Oval, formal events to this hall, and civic events to the green between them.