The county courthouse is framed through a bridge that spans the White River in Columbus, Ind. Photo by Lois A. Lowe
Columbus, Indiana is a small city full of big surprises.

Located about a four hour drive south of Chicago and only 30 miles from the Indianapolis airport, you would expect to find a typical Midwestern County seat. You would be wrong.

Your first surprise as you drive into town is an ultra-modern bridge, called a quadripod, which was completed in 1999 by architect Jean Muller. Framed through the bridge that spans the White River, is a classic Midwest County Courthouse, a stark contrast to the bridge. You follow the road signs to Columbus' Visitors Center in the downtown area. As you park, you're struck by a very tall vertical clock tower across the street. Next to it, another piece of obviously modern architecture and across the street, the low-slung library building is fronted by a contemporary plaza. In that open space is a huge bronze arch, unmistakably the work of the great British modernist, Henry Moore. What's going on here?

Entering the Visitors Center, the mystery of the town begins to unfold. After you've toured the Center with its chandelier and display of glass works, all by internationally famed glass artist Dale Chihuly, the town's history opens with a series of exhibits. Settled by a pioneering wave of Eastern seaboard residents in the late 1700's and early 1800's, these settlers moved from Virginia to Kentucky and then, north to Indiana. Many early residents were escapees from indentured servitude. The town was incorporated in 1821. Following the Civil War, Columbus became the County seat of a rich agricultural region.

The First Christian Church retained famed Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen to design a new house of worship for them. Plans were drawn in the late 1930's. Saarinen convinced the congregation that older design styles ‹ Gothic and Georgian ‹ could no longer express the needs of a modern community. A new approach to church design was needed. The result was the first contemporary church in the United States and still stands as a monument to the genius of the Finn. At the Visitors Center, you learn that Columbus is now the home of Cummins Engine Company, the manufacturer of Diesel engines used in trucks, ships and power plants.

The Martin family who owned Cummins adopted a philosophy of giving something back to the town that had provided them with a large fortune. Their officially stated attitude was ³Public architecture creates the base for good living." They endowed a foundation that would provide architectural fees for needed civic improvements. A list of 10 world class architects was prepared and offered to the town which could then select one from the list to plan the proposed public project.

Although church organizations and businesses didn't benefit directly from the Martin's Foundation, many took up the challenge and, later, using the same list of top notch architects, created a community of modern churches and corporate structures that's unique in America. Thus, Columbus has become, at least according to the American Institute of Architects, the number six city in the nation when ranked for architectural innovation and design. Columbus is in the company of Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Boston and Washington which top the same list. For a city of only 39,000 people, that's a spectacular achievement.

Bus tours of some of these masterpieces are offered from the Visitors Center. But even before boarding the bus, we entered the 1942 First Christian Church that Saarinen had designed. His wife, Loja wove a massive tapestry for the sanctuary. The interior furniture was designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen, Eliel's son. Later, we visited the church for an evening performance by a local, professional symphony orchestra and two choirs. The acoustics are amazing. The library across the street was designed by I. M. Pei who also created the pyramid addition to Paris' Louvre. In 1954, Eero designed the downtown Irwin Union Bank building along with several other prominent Columbus structures.

Your tour drives past the Cummins Engine headquarters, a three block long example of modern architecture applied to industrial production. Designed by Saarinen disciples Roche, Dinkeloo Associates, the building features tiny windows facing the South and West elevations and much larger glass panels on the North side. This is an innovative energy saving idea incorporated into the 1983 office building.

The city needed a central park area to replace a slum built on a river flood plain and engaged landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh in 1992. Mill Race Park features a typical Indiana covered bridge, a 500 seat amphitheater that's built into the hillside, sports and picnic areas and even a spot for fishing in the river that flows along it's edge. Now, Van Valkenburgh has been in town to discuss the development of three additions to the Park; projects that will be funded in the future to continue expansion of the park.

A downtown glass and steel shopping center designed by Cesar Pelli is used jointly by commercial shops and stores, including Sears, along with a common area in the front part of the complex that includes meeting rooms, an art gallery, a play area for children. If Pelli's name isn't familiar, you'll know it by some of his other projects ‹ The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the world's tallest buildings, and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo among many others.

Richard Meier and Partners created the Clifty Creek Elementary School in 1982. Meier went on to build the billion dollar Getty Museum in Los Angeles and Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. Edward Charles Bassett of the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill firm planned the 1981 City Hall and much of the work in Columbus bears the unmistakable signature of Chicago architect, Harry Weese. Even the telephone switching building was not immune from the influences of modern architectural design and in 1971, Caudill Rowlett Scott encased the building in a new and striking mirrored skin.

To mention all the talent that had a hand in creating this remarkable city would be to recite a list of America's leading architects and planners of the late 20th Century. But the work goes on and now plans are being drawn for the creation of the new Central Middle School to be designed by Ralph Johnson of Chicago's Perkins and Will. The firm drew plans for a school that would have exceeded the City's budget. They were paid for their work, but the building never broke ground. When the City's problems became known to the architects, they volunteered to redraw the plan to fit into the more modest budget.

Is Columbus only for modern architectural buffs? Not at all. The old buildings dating to the 19th Century have been restored and maintained with great care. You might want a walking tour of the formal Italianate Gardens adjoining the 1910 Irwin House and Gardens. The 1874 County Courthouse is still very much a part of the community, surrounded, as it is, by lawyers' offices along with real estate and title companies.

Staying overnight in Columbus is also a special experience. Along Interstate 65, there are several nationally recognized motel chains whose large signs are designed to attract people. In town, it's a different story. You might want to stay at the Ruddick-Nugent House, an 1884 Colonial revival style building with gardens filling out a full city block. The house is old, but Peace Corp veterans, Dennis and Joyce Orwin have modernized every element of it. High speed internet connections, TV, air conditioning and Dennis' gourmet candlelight breakfasts are part of the ambience.

Or you may want to stay in The Columbus Inn, a 34-room downtown remodeling of the 1895 City Hall. At one time, the building housed a farmers' market and a municipal auditorium that was used for everything from basketball games to ballroom dancing lessons. Although the uses of the property have been tamed, the feeling of another time is very much part of a stay there.

Columbus continues on the cutting edge of modern architecture. The recent construction of a branch of the Irwin Union Bank designed by New York architect Deborah Berke lets this relatively small 4000 square foot structure stand out and attract attention in spite of its locations near several big box retail store. The City continues to be a tourist attraction to the many who appreciate the beauty of architecture as an art form.

RESOURCES

Columbus Visitors Center: 800-468-6564 www.columbus.in.us

Ruddick-Nugent House: 800-814-7478 www.ruddick-nugent-house.com

Columbus Inn: 812-378-4289 www.thecolumbusinn.com