Mobile Map Guide,
South Side, Stops 25-36
25 – Cummins Commons Building
Designed by Koetter Kim & Associates, this 100,000 square foot four-story building serves as general office space for Cummins.
The building is energy efficient and sustainable, an received an LEED Silver rating.
Take me to Cummins Commons office building.
26 – 301 Washington
This building first served as a dry goods store owned by Joseph Ireland Irwin in 1850.
Remodeled around 1871, it became Irwin’s bank, and later became the private office of former Cummins chairperson, J. Irwin Miller.
Miller’s office was designed by legendary architect and interior designer Alexander Girard. Tours of the office are available on the Downtown Walking Tour.
Take me to 301 Washington.
27 – Courthouse
Isaac Hodgson designed the Bartholomew County Courthouse, which was completed in 1874.
The Second Empire style building stands much the same as it did at its completion and continues to serve the community well.
Landscape Designer Michael Van Valkenburgh developed a master plan for landscape plantings for the Court House Square in 1997 and The Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans, which is located directly south of the courthouse.
The community was proud to see it featured on the cover of the book The Magnificent 92 Indiana Courthouses.
Take me to the Courthouse.
28 – Memorial for Veterans
Twenty five limestone pillars, each 40-feet high, in a five-by-five grid, comprise the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans. Engraved on the columns are the names of those who gave their lives, along with excerpts from selected correspondence. Though large, the piece offers a meditative and intimate experience due to the letters to and from the soldiers. The memorial was designed by Thompson and Rose Architects and received the Boston Society of Architects Unbuilt Architecture Design Award in 1996.
The Charles Rose website says, “The winner of a national design competition, the Veterans Memorial is a grid of limestone pillars: a monolith of rough and naturally textured stone when viewed from afar and—from its interior meditative spaces—a forest of soaring columns separated by narrow passageways. Veterans’ names, letters and diary entries were etched on the smooth surfaces. At night, lights embedded in the base create a dramatic play of light and shadow and illuminate the memorial’s interior.”
Take me to the Memorial for Veterans.
29 – Crack the Whip
A four-foot tall bronze by Jo Saylors of four children playing crack the whip, a children’s game dating to the late 1800s. The piece is meticulous in detail, right down to the wrinkles in the clothes and the off-balanced positions of the children.
Commissioned by Mr. and Mrs. James K. Baker as a gift to honor Arvin employees, the piece was originally placed at the former Arvin Corporate headquarters on Central Avenue. After Arvin left Columbus, the Baker’s exercised their option to have the piece relocated to a spot more accessible to the public.
The piece was gifted to Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County and moved to its current location.
Take me to Crack the Whip.
30 – Republic Offices
Myron Goldsmith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the International-style building in 1971 of glass and steel and provided onlookers with a window into the newspaper business.
The open concept reflects the daily newspaper’s role as a central link in the information highway.
Goldsmith’s design provided onlookers with a window into the business of communications. The open concept reflects the seven-day newspaper’s role as a central link in the information for the community. Originally, the paper’s printing presses could be viewed from the street, as they printed the daily paper.
The Republic was the seventh Columbus structure to be named an historic landmark, The U.S. Interior said, “The Republic is an exceptional work of modern architecture and one of the best examples of the work of Myron Goldsmith, a general partner in the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and a highly respected architect, architect”
The AIA (American Institute of Architects) gave the building an Honor award in 1975, one of five recognized in Columbus by the AIA.
Take me to the former Republic offices.
31 – City Hall
City Hall is sited to create a strong visual relationship between the old and new architecture downtown. The cantilevered arms frame the two-story, semi-circular window wall of glass, shaped to reflect the courthouse to approaching visitors.
The cantilevered arms frame the two-story, semi-circular window wall of glass, shaped to reflect the courthouse to approaching visitors.
It’s unusual that the small community of Columbus has two buildings from by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) right across the street from each other, City Hall and The Republic Newspaper offices. SOM is one of the largest architecture firms in the world and has created many of the major projects of the 20th century. SOM was named AIA Firm of the Year in 1961 and again in 1996 — the only firm that has been awarded the prize twice.
Take me to Columbus City Hall.
32 – County Jail
The four-story county jail has a distinctive wire-mesh dome for outdoor recreation and features brick and limestone materials that are compatible with nearby Columbus City Hall and the Bartholomew County Courthouse.
From the San Francisco Chronicle obituary, Mar. 3, 2013:
His work … shared an elegant simplicity of design, yet with enlivening and even playful details. He was proud to leave a legacy of “buildings that found a freedom out of post modernism.” Perhaps his best-known design is the Bartholomew County Jail in Columbus, Indiana (1990), a community noted for its collection of innovative modern structures…In addition to citations in 70 leading architectural publications, his work has been honored over the years with over 50 design awards, including a Cornerstone Award for the best urban office building of 1991.
Take me to the Bartholomew County Jail.
33 – Sycamore Place
Sycamore Place was built in 1982 as apartments for seniors, with 24 one-bedroom units.
A large sundial is a prominent feature of the landscaping.
The building plan stairsteps back, creating a private balcony space for each unit. The staggered corridor also provides privacy at the entries and features natural daylight at the ends, unique for public housing.
The site has been landscaped with a variety of trees including Bradford Pears, Douglas Firs, Red maples, Littleleaf Linden, and Honey locust.
Take me to Sycamore Place.
34 – Fire Station One
The original Fire Station One was designed by Columbus native Leighton Bowers in 1941 (one year before First Christian Church) in the Art Deco style with curved glass corner of buff brick, limestone, glass, and stainless steel.
Leighton Bowers (1894-1944) practiced in Fort Wayne until he moved to Indianapolis in 1933, where he served as an architect for the state of Indiana. His Fort Wayne designs include the NIPSCO Office Building and the Gaston F. Bailhe House.
The addition and renovation was completed by Columbus architects James K. Paris and Nolan Bingham in 1990. Michael Van Valkenburgh completed the project with his landscaping design.
The 1990 addition was by Columbus architect Jim Paris, who maintained the strong horizontal lines and 2 colors of brick.
The station also houses and maintains the first diesel engine fire truck in the country, you can often see it parked in one of the Washington Street bays and is a popular feature of special community events.
Take me to Fire Station One.
35 – Mill Race Center
Myron Goldsmith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the International-style building in 1971 of glass and steel and provided onlookers with a window into the newspaper business.
The open concept reflects the daily newspaper’s role as a central link in the information highway.
Goldsmith’s design provided onlookers with a window into the business of communications. The open concept reflects the seven-day newspaper’s role as a central link in the information for the community. Originally, the paper’s printing presses could be viewed from the street, as they printed the daily paper.
The Republic was the seventh Columbus structure to be named an historic landmark, The U.S. Interior said, “The Republic is an exceptional work of modern architecture and one of the best examples of the work of Myron Goldsmith, a general partner in the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and a highly respected architect, architect”
The AIA (American Institute of Architects) gave the building an Honor award in 1975, one of five recognized in Columbus by the AIA.
Take me to Mill Race Center.
36 – Mill Race Park
The gently curving brick of this community center is positioned to take advantage of natural lighting and offer views of Mill Race Park. The bricks used were made four inches longer than normal to strengthen the horizontal nature of the building
Boston Magazine wrote in 2012 of architect William Rawn, “In a town where neighbors battle over every building proposal that even hints at the modern, this architect has quietly managed to build an impressive portfolio of stunning glass towers (the W hotel), innovative contemporary campuses (Northeastern), and shiny additions (Cambridge Public Library).” – from “The 50 Most Powerful People in Boston”
Take me to the Mill Race covered bridge.
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