Columbus, Indiana
A town of fifty thousand with major buildings by Saarinen, Pei, Meier and Roche, funded by a foundation that paid the architects' fees.
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J. Irwin Miller, who ran the Cummins engine company here, made an unusual offer through the Cummins Foundation in 1957: if the school board and other public bodies chose an architect from an approved list of the best in the world, the foundation would pay the design fee. Over decades that produced more than seventy significant buildings in a town of fifty thousand - Eero Saarinen's North Christian Church with its single spire, Eliel Saarinen's First Christian Church of 1942, I. M. Pei's library with a Henry Moore bronze outside, Harry Weese, Kevin Roche, Richard Meier, Deborah Berke. The American Institute of Architects has ranked the town among the top ten in the country for architectural innovation.
What you actually see
- Over seventy significant buildings - in a town of fifty thousand.
- Both Saarinens - Eliel's church of 1942 and Eero's of 1964.
- Pei's library and a Moore bronze - on the central plaza.
- A funding model that caused it - the foundation paid design fees.
When to go
April to October. A full day.
Honest expectations
Many buildings are working churches, schools and offices with no interior access except on guided tours. Tours run on a schedule and book ahead. Sites are spread out. It is an ordinary Midwestern town otherwise.
Nearby
Indianapolis is north; Brown County State Park is west.
What to pack for Columbus, Indiana
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.