How Columbus, Indiana, became a mecca for Mid Century Modern architecture.
In many parts of the Midwest, the land is mostly flat and dotted with cornfields. But the city of Columbus, Indiana, stands apart, dazzling with Mid Century Modern architecture created by the world’s best architects. Wander through downtown and you’ll stumble upon incredible examples of mid mod design by architects like Eliel Saarinen (father of architect Eero Saarinen), Harry Weese, Kevin Roche and I.M. Pei.
Incredibly, Columbus has more MCM greats gathered up in one location than any other major metropolis. It even boasts seven national historic landmarks. And the story of how the small city (with only 50,000 residents in a 2020 census) became a mecca for MCM is just as remarkable.
A Company Town
In the Midwest, a single company might become a city’s biggest employer, helping shape its expansion and growth. In Columbus, Indiana, the Cummins Engine Company did this, quite literally, when company executive and co-founder J. Irwin Miller started the Cummins Foundation Architecture Program in 1954.
The story goes that Cummins wanted to draw in more potential workers, along with doctors, lawyers, teachers and more, to Columbus. Miller realized he needed to figure out a way to make Columbus an attractive place where people would want to live and settle down. He believed good design was the answer. The Cummins Foundation Architecture Program would pay the architectural fees for new public buildings as long as the city selected architects from a pre-approved list of modern greats Miller admired.
Modern Marvel
Miller’s quest for brilliant design began with a modern church to house the town congregation, which had outgrown its previous building. His family wanted the new church to resemble the traditional Gothic style, but Miller had other ideas, insisting that a more modern structure would reflect the congregation’s preference for simplicity over grandeur.
He tasked Eliel Saarinen with the project that would be the First Christian Church. The result was a freestanding belltower and a massive main building enveloped in a geometric limestone façade. Both structures are examples of MCM’s clean lines and simple, minimal aesthetic. The church became one of only two churches in the United States by the architect. In 2001, it was declared a National Historic Landmark. Last year, the city spent a whopping $3.2 million restoring it.
Midwest Modern
Miller went on to help erect more community-driven spaces. Harry Weese designed the city’s inaugural school, Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary. Many more buildings would follow, like Fire Station Number 4 by Robert Venturi, The Irwin Conference Center (previously the Irwin Union Bank and Trust) and North Christian Church by Eero Saarinen. Now a museum, Miller’s own house and gardens were also designed by some of the noteworthy architects and designers: Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard and Dan Kiley.
While all very different, each structure participates in a Midwestern take on Mid Century Modern style. “I think all the architects resisted the stereotypical modern ‘glass box,’” says Matt Shaw, Columbus native and author of American Modern: Architecture; Community; Columbus, Indiana. “Columbus’ modern buildings feature a lot of bricks and natural materials like stone. It was a softer version of modernism—not the Park Ave. or Madison Ave. glass towers version of it,” Shaw explains. Everything was designed with the local community in mind. Hence, a bank building would have brick floors so people with muddy boots could walk in. “None of the buildings in Columbus have shiny marble floors like there would have been in Manhattan at that time,” he writes.
In the end, architecture helped usher in new residents to the growing city and put Columbus, Indiana, on the map. While other manufacturing towns were impacted by the industrial decline of the 1980s, Columbus was left untouched. In fact, the city continues to draw interest, as people from all around the world stop by for the many architecture tours or Exhibit Columbus, a yearly exhibition of art installations celebrating key architectural sites around the city.
“The architecture has caused people to care more about Columbus,” Shaw writes. “There’s a real civic pride because of it.” Miller would be proud.
American Modern
A new book covers the history of Columbus and why its architecture matters. Here are some main takeaways.
More Than Just Design. Columbus, Indiana, is more than a mecca of modern architecture. The book American Modern examines how design can help foster a sense of community.
“I discovered that Miller ideas ran parallel to Kennedy’s New Frontier or President Johnson’s Great Society,” author Matt Shaw writes. These were a series of domestic programs that invested resources in providing opportunities for all Americans. “It was a vision for America as ‘a place where the meaning of man’s life matches the marvels of man’s labor,’”Shaw writes.
Modern in the Midwest. Every region around the country has its own take on MCM. “Midwesterners at this time would have recoiled from the modern ‘glass box’ designed elsewhere,” Shaw writes. “Besides, the architects Miller selected considered it boring. So Columbus designs feel humbler and more natural—I spend an entire chapter talking about how MCM manifested differently in this city.”
Curious about more of Midwest Modernism? Check out The Movers and Shakers of Midwest Modern, Midwest Modern: Ohio’s Weltzheimer-Johnson House, Tour the Frost House, a Rare Modern Gem in the Midwest and Mid Century Modern Landscaping in a Midwestern Climate. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more Atomic Ranch articles, house tours, and ideas!
