How Columbus, Indiana, became a mecca for modern architecture

COLUMBUS, Indiana – Ordinary Indiana? Not this town, which became a mecca of modern architecture in the second half of the 20th century.

The story of how it happened is almost as interesting as the architecture itself.

J. Irwin Miller, a Columbus native and the chairman of Cummins Engine Co., wasn’t a fan of bland post-World War II buildings. So he challenged his hometown to do better.

To encourage the use of some of the world’s best-known architects, his company established a fund that covered the design fees for dozens of public projects.

The idea worked. Columbus, population about 50,600, is home to dozens of striking and imaginative buildings, designed by a who’s-who of 20th and 21st century architecture.