Seven buildings in Columbus, Indiana, have been designated as National Historic Landmarks, an extraordinary number for a city with a population under 50,000, and one of the reasons Columbus is recognized as one of the most important cities for architecture in the U.S.
What makes a landmark? The National Park Service explains, “National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places…because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States”
First Christian Church, Eliel Saarinen (1942)
First Christian Church, designed by father-son duo Eliel and Eero Saarinen, and completed in 1942, is one of the great works of American architecture from the first half of the 20th century.
It is widely considered the first Modernist church in America and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000. The building illustrates the Saarinens’ genius in building composition and urban design.
The relationship of the building to its tower and the site’s open space, as well as how the total work relates to the surrounding urban fabric, are among the structure’s strongest points.
Irwin Union Bank, Eero Saarinen (1954) and Office Building Expansion, Kevin Roche (1972)
Cummins Inc. Irwin Conference Center, formerly Irwin Union Bank and Trust, was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1954, with landscape design by Dan Kiley.
The low, glass-walled building was a radical design at a time when banks were made of imposing limestone and granite. The interior of the bank is a large open concept with distinctive domed lighting and an amazing stair well. The building is linked to the 1910 office building and three-story building by a three-story glass arcade, which was designed by Kevin Roche and added in 1973. The striped glass of the arcade is made to help moderate the extremes of temperature a glass building can experience.
Miller House and Garden, Eero Saarinen (1957)
Miller House is one of the most important mid-century modern residences in the country, often mentioned alongside Fallingwater, The Glass House, and The Farnsworth House as America’s best examples of residential modernism. This hallmark of modern design showcases the talents of architect Eero Saarinen, designer Alexander Girard, and landscape architect Dan Kiley, three masters of design collaborating at the height of their careers.
Commissioned by industrialist and philanthropist J. Irwin Miller and his wife Xenia Simons Miller in 1953, Miller House was designed with an open and flowing layout, flat roof and stone and glass walls. The rooms, configured beneath a grid pattern of skylights supported by cruciform steel columns, are filled with textiles that feature strong colors and playful patterns.
Miller House and Garden tours often fill to capacity. Be sure to book your ticket in advance of your visit to Columbus!
Mabel McDowell Adult Education Center (1960)
The LEX (formerly North Christian Church), Eero Saarinen (1964)
The church’s congregation declined over the last decade, and it officially closed its steel doors in July 2022.
The congregation donated the former North Christian Church building and property to the Bartholomew County Public Library system in 2024. As such, it is now known as The LEX: The Library of Experience. BCPL is working through an extensive process of community engagement to determine the specifics for the future. However, the library envisions this as a place where every visit sparks something new, ideas will take shape, connections will flourish, and inspiration is around every corner. More than just a library, The LEX will be a dynamic space designed to ignite curiosity, foster growth, and bring people together.
Interested in exploring the interior? Contact the Visitors Center for more details.
First Baptist Church, Harry Weese (1965)
The Republic Newspaper Building, Myron Goldsmith/SOM (1971)
Now occupied by the Indiana University J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program
Photos by Hadley Fruits for Landmark Columbus Foundation
