MOBILE MAP STOPS 19-24

Cummins landscaping, photo by Jack Curtis

19 – Cummins Green Space

Landscape Architect Jack Curtis has many projects in Columbus, including Cummins Corporate Office Building, Cummins Technical Center, Cummins Fuel System Plan, Cummins Engine Plant One, Cummins Child Development Center, Columbus Visitors Center, and Irwin Gardens restorations.

The landscape surrounding the Cummins Inc. corporate headquarters creates a park-like setting for the operations of this Fortune 500 Company – the project won an Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The central park area is grand year round and features glory maple, sugar maple, Boston ivy, birch, redbud, dogwood, and climbing hydrangea bloom on the columns surrounding the building.

(Photo by Jack Curtis)

Cummins landscaping, photo by Jack Curtis

20 – Cerealine Building

The Cerealine Building, with its gracefully-arched windows and doors, has been a part of the Columbus skyline for more than a century. The building originally was the main structure of the old Cerealine grain complex, believed to have been built in 1867. Cerealine, a dried corn product which was one of the world’s first dry breakfast cereals, and was featured on the menu of the Titanic, was made in this building.

A former building to the north housed Cummins’ first factory and office for the seven years following the company’s founding in 1919.

The exterior of this historic structure, significant to both Columbus and Cummins, has been carefully renovated – the space was doubled by means of a U-shaped addition, which has become an employee cafeteria.

Take me to the Cerealine building.
Cummins landscaping, photo by Jack Curtis

21 – Cummins Corporate

Designed by Kevin Roche (Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates) the Cummins Corporate Office Building serves as the world headquarters for Cummins, Inc., a Fortune 200 Company and diesel engine manufacturer.

The zigzag plan of the one-story building with a mezzanine level interacts with a park-like setting on the east side of the building. The office building is primarily cast-in-place octagonal concrete columns with infilled precast concrete spandrels and narrow windows to provide noise and sun control.

Landscape Architect Jack Curtis created the park-like setting — the project received an Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The central park area features glory maple, sugar maple, Boston ivy, birch, redbud, and dogwood. In the summer months, the park is lush and green, while the climbing hydrangea bloom on the columns surrounding the building.

Roche received architecture’s highest prize, the Pritzker Prize, in 1982 (followed by I.M. Pei in 1983 and Richard Meier in 1984, all with work in Columbus).

Cummins landscaping, photo by Jack Curtis

22 – Exploded Engine

The Cummins Museum is free to the public, this installation is inside the front entrance of the Cummins Headquarters, enter near the corner of Fifth Street and Jackson.

The de Harak piece is both instructional and fascinating. Nearly every nut and bolt is deconstructed to its smallest detail and hangs in midair, suspended by floor-to-ceiling wires. The diesel engine is the centerpiece of the museum at the Cummins Corporate Headquarters. The New York Times obituary for de Harak said, “Mr. de Harak conceived a display he called an ‘exploding’ diesel engine; it hangs by wires in midair, revealing its every part, including all the tiny nuts and bolts. It was one of his many approaches to extracting useful, fascinating information from the most minute details.”

Cummins landscaping, photo by Jack Curtis

23 – Post Office

The Columbus Post Office was the first post office in the country designed by architects whose fees were privately funded. It uses salt-glazed tile, mirrored glass, and COR-Ten steel. Cor-Ten steel’s high tin content oxidizes to form a protective, maintenance-free finish with a rich brown color. Eero Saarinen and Roche had also used it on the John Deer headquarters in Moline, Illinois.

When Roche took on this job, he had taken over the construction of North Christian Church after the death of Eero Saarinen, along with many other ongoing projects of Saarinen’s. Roche also worked closely with Eero Saarinen on the Miller House.

Roche designed buildings on three of the four corners of this intersection at Fifth and Jackson Streets — the others are Cummins Headquarters and Irwin Office Building Arcade — so this is sometimes referred to as “Kevin Roche Corner.”

Take me to the Post Office.
Cummins landscaping, photo by Jack Curtis

24 – Eos

Created by artist Dessa Kirk, who completed the project in Columbus in the Brand’s Lumber warehouse. Eos’ arms extend into anthropomorphised leaves, which are made of welded sections of painted metal.

In Greek mythology the winged Eos was the goddess of the dawn, and rose from her home at the edge of Oceanus, the Ocean, dispersed the mists of the night and opened the gates of heaven every day so her brother, Helios, the sun, could ride his chariot across the sky.

Originally part of the 2006 Sculpture Invitational, the piece was so popular with the community that a fund drive raised the money to ensure she had a permanent home in Columbus.

Dessa Kirk on Columbus: “Columbus, Indiana has all these amazing buildings by amazing architects that were commissioned by Cummins. The one great sculpture, the Henry Moore, I want to be in the same city as Henry Moore, why not, it’s a beautiful thing. Beautiful city in a beautiful setting. You want to see great architecture, go there. There’s New York City, but Columbus is where you want to go. And there’s great sculpture, my all-time favorite sculptor, Tinguely. I want to be a part of that, I want to be there hanging out with those guys.” (adapted from WTTW Arts Online)

Take me to Eos.
';