The sight that greeted me after I left Bloomington on a rainy morning, up from $3.78 the day before.

 

Coming into Columbus from from the west on Indiana 46, the Second Street Bridge gives an indication that there's something out of the ordinary ahead. From the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau web site:

"The Second Street Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge. Designed by J. Muller International and completed in 1999, it is the first of its kind in North America. The bridge offers an impressive view of two of the city’s notable structures – the Bartholomew County Courthouse and the tower of First Christian Church. The bridge is fully suspended and the 40 cables that support the structure are in the shape of a fan."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vandalism and tagging are especially incongruous in a place like Columbus that displays considerable civic pride and places a lot of emphasis on good architecture and pleasing, attractive living environment.

 

 

 

 

 

Columbus, Indiana, population 39,000, is the seat of Bartholomew County and is known both for its historic preservation and for its modernist architecture. In 1954 J. Irwin Miller set up the Cummins Foundation to pay architects' fees for the Columbus Schools, in order to attract the kind of employees and residents he thought would be good for Columbus. In subsequent years, other companies have pitched in to maintain the momentum of the movement that Miller and the Cummins Foundation started.

 

Here, because of weather, time constraints, and fatigue I've presented only a very small sampling of Columbus' architectural treasures. What I saw makes me want to go back in more cooperative weather and dedicate a couple of days to a more in-depth exploration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Crump Theatre, built in 1889, is Indiana's oldest theatre. The current facade was created as part of a 1941 remodeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The U.S. Post Office in Columbus was the first one to be built with privately-funded architect's designs, by Roche Dinkeloo in 1970.

 

 

 

 

 

 

150,000 square foot, 13-acre Commons Mall was designed by Cesar Pelli and completed in 1974. Photos of the area before redevelopment can be seen here

 

Renfro Development purchased The Commons Mall in December, 2000. A major renovation and expansion is being planned with assistance from Stan Eckstut of Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut & Kuhn of New York and Rowland Design of Indianapolis. The plan calls for “un-malling” the mall, turning it into a mixed use development with residential, an extended-stay hotel with 94 rooms and suites, a four-story, 100,000 square foot office building to be occupied by 500 new professional employees hired by Cummins Engine, retail and entertainment. Renfro Development is working with the City of Columbus to utilize TIF financing to build a parking structure and to develop the area along the downtown riverfront. Renderings and general information on the redevelopment can be seen here

 

Dora Hotels will develop the new Cummins office building and hotel and will manage the hotel, along with the Indigo Hotel nearby.

 

I'm amazed at the state of maintenance and landscaping for Commons Mall. How many other 35-year-old malls even survive, let alone look this good?

 

 

 

The end of the mall, figuratively and literally

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irwin Union Bank and Trust was designed by Eero Saarinen. This was pretty ground-breaking design in 1954, and it still looks good and fits well in its setting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had assumed that this was a former fire station, but I've been informed that it used to be a Goodyear tire store. It must have been the classiest one of those anywhere!<br>

 

 

The 1901 City Power House was designed by Harrison Albright and renovated into the Senior Center in 1976 by James K. Paris. The brick walls are 17 inches thick.

 

 

 

 

The building overlooks the East Fork of the White River.

 

 

In many communities the designs of the sixties and seventies have come to look dated and have fallen out of favor. In my eyes, what sets Columbus apart is that the buildings of that era were designed by iconic architectural firms who really understood what they were doing, and their designs were executed without corner-cutting. Add to that exceptional attention over the years to ongoing maintenance both to the structures and to the landscaping and surroundings that display the architects' work in the right context.

The Columbus Republic's building was designed in 1971 by Myron Goldsmith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

 

 

 

 

 

Edward Charles Bassett, Principal Architect at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed Columbus City Hall in 1981.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bartholomew County Courthouse, begun in 1871 and completed in 1874.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veterans Memorial

 

 

That is a pretty nice looking mall... and well maintained. But it needs to go :)

Great stuff!

 

THANK YOU for not showing me the Miller House/Garden.

Not bad.

WOW WOW WOW, HOLD UP!!!!! Holy crap that place has changed in the two years since I've been there. Did they really just chop a hole through that beautiful Pelli building? I suppose it needed some sort of jolt, but it was such a great concourse. At least they're maintaining the Commons part of the mall, which is one of my favorite spaces. Rob, you really need to go back and finish up this already outstanding thread. You barely touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to outstanding buildings in that city. And you missed my absolute favorite building on earth, the First Christian Church by Eliel Saarinen. For those of you who don't know Columbus Indiana, GO THERE!!! There's no place like it on earth.

 

 

Here's a rundown of the building's you need to see in real life (these aren't my photos, sorry):

 

First Baptist Church:

 

Cleo Rogers Library:

 

Cummin's Corporate Office:

 

North Christian Church:

 

Lincoln Elementary School:

 

St Peter's Lutheran:

 

First Christian Church (My absolute favorite building):

 

Mabel McDowell School:

 

Miller House:

 

Columbus East High School:

 

AT&T Switching Station:

 

Front Door Bridge:

 

Northside Middle School:

 

St Bartholomew Catholic Church:

 

 

And that's nowhere near all...   the fire stations are fantastic, the Irwin Union Bank branches are quite unique, the other schools in town are less well known but just as amazing. The public art in Mill Race Park is incredible. There's just SO MUCH to see in this tiny little town...and it's not like the people there are all arrogant rich folks, they just have a lot of pride. It's incredible.

 

GO COLUMBUS!!!

I'm glad I live in Columbus, Ohio.  However, Columbus, Indiana is an architectural marvel.  Great place to visit.

 

Also, that Speedway sign makes $2.75 cigarettes seem like a bargain!

Great stuff!

 

THANK YOU for not showing me the Miller House/Garden.

 

HeeHee! I'll get that on the next trip! :-D

 

WOW WOW WOW, HOLD UP!!!!!  Holy crap that place has changed in the two years since I've been there.  Did they really just chop a hole through that beautiful Pelli building?

 

[...]

 

Rob, you really need to go back and finish up this already outstanding thread.  You barely touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to outstanding buildings in that city ...

 

...and it's not like the people there are all arrogant rich folks, they just have a lot of pride.  It's incredible. 

 

They didn't just chop a hole in Pelli's mall. They amputated half of it.

 

What they're building, though, will probably look good as one side of the courthouse square, and should work OK with the character of the rest of the CBD. Besides, the new development is bringing 500 good-paying professional jobs right into the middle of the CBD. That has to be good for retail and restaurants.

 

I realize I didn't cover a lot of the city, but I'll be back. By that time I had been several hours on the road and two days on foot with my camera in a couple of towns, and physically I was running on fumes. Besides, the weather wasn't exactly inspiring, and I was more-or-less dashing between the raindrops.

 

Miller started with the schools, and it just took off from there. Even though he's gone now, others in the community have taken up the banner and keep the movement going. I agree with your comment about the people, too. One gentleman in business attire stopped to chat when he saw me taking photos, and filled me in about the restoration of the ice cream parlor, and a couple of other people were downright friendly in answering some questions.

 

Columbus has a good manufacturing industry base for its size, and that industry is local and vested in the community. America needs more of that.

 

... Also, that Speedway sign makes $2.75 cigarettes seem like a bargain!

 

You'd think those prices for both gasoline and cigarettes would discourage more Hoosiers from smoking while they pump gas, but despite the law they still do it. They pump with the engine running, too.

I'd hate to see photos of the city after the flood.  :-/  It was nice to make it over there a week before though.

I'd hate to see photos of the city after the flood. :-/ It was nice to make it over there a week before though.

 

I've heard Columbus got hit pretty hard, but I don't know what areas were affected. I hope their architectural treasures are all on high enough ground to have escaped.