Different By Design

Local lore has it that the Bartholomew County Jail in Columbus, Ind., looks so good that a visitor once tried to check in. "I don’t know about that," town resident Joyce Orwin says with a chuckle. "But I do know that this town is not like anyplace you will find anywhere else."

The famed jail, which a visitor once reportedly mistook for a hotel, fits right in with the other architectural masterpieces of Columbus (pop. 39,059). Completed in 1990 by architect Don M. Hisaka, the oval-shaped, brick-and-limestone jail has no bars on the windows and features a dome on top that allows sunlight to stream inside.

No small town—and few big cities—in the United States can match Columbus for its modern architecture. With more than 60 buildings designed by some of the world’s greatest architects, residents love to show visitors around town.

"Columbus ranks sixth nationally for innovation and design in the number of buildings by famous architects," Orwin says, leading a tour from the Columbus Area Visitors Center. The American Institute of Architects includes Col-umbus on its top six list, behind Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C.

The town’s love affair with architecture began in the early 1940s when its First Christian Church needed a new building for a growing congregation. In a daring move, church leaders selected architect Eliel Saarinen, who broke with tradition and designed the church with a 166-foot bell tower instead of a steeple. It was one of the first modern religious buildings in the nation with simple clean lines and no stained glass.

Following World War II and the baby boom, new schools were needed in Columbus. In 1957, Columbus-based Cummins Engine Co., under the guidance of CEO J. Irwin Miller, made an offer to pay the architectural fees for the new school buildings.

"We thought it was a way to make these schools more attractive and functional and make a statement that this is a community that cares about its children," says Tracy Souza, president of the Cummins Foundation.

Later, the offer was extended to all public buildings. Since then, the Cummins Foundation has spent $20 million on more than 50 community projects.

Living in the midst of such architectural splendor has given Columbus a world-class outlook, says Lynn Lucas at the Columbus Area Visitors Center. "We have a wonderful sense of pride and are always looking for ways to improve the community," she says.

Nearly 150,000 visitors find their way to town each year. Tour guides lead guests around the city, pointing out treasured structures such as the 1973 small-scale Cesar Pelli-designed mall and Fire Station No. 4, a 1967 work by Robert Venturi, who also designed the Seattle Museum of Art. North Christian Church, a hexagon-shaped building with a 192-foot spire—the city’s tallest—topped by a gold-leaf cross was completed in 1964 and designed by Eero Saarinen, who also devised plans for St. Louis’ Gateway Arch.

In the ‘90s, when a cable-stayed bridge was being considered for the downtown entrance, city leaders insisted upon a distinctive structure. Dedicated in 1999, the picturesque Second Street Bridge—dominated by four towering red pylons—is lighted at night and frames the 1874 Bartholomew County Courthouse.

"That’s my favorite," says Ben Whitaker, who works at Otter Creek Golf Course, where the clubhouse was designed by Harry Weese, architect of Chicago’s Time and Life Building. "Our architecture is what sets Columbus apart from other cities. And when you drive across that bridge, you know you are entering a special place."

For more information, call (800) 468-6564 or log on to www.columbus.in.us.

Jackie Sheckler Finch is a freelance writer in Bloomington, Ind.

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