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20th-Century Fox

Eero Saarinen’s legendary Miller House opens to the public this May for the first time. Leslie Williamson gives us an intimate tour of this Columbus, Indiana, treasure.
 

Slideshow Miller House in Columbus, Indiana
The pathway from the pool to the house is paved with the same slate that clads the exterior walls.

In 1952, the late industrialist J. Irwin Miller and his wife, Xenia, commissioned a remarkable modernist triumvirate to create their home in Columbus, Indiana: Eero Saarinen designed the building, Alexander Girard masterminded the interiors, and Dan Kiley handled the landscape architecture. Luckily, the Miller heirs knew they had grown up in a gem, and when their parents passed away, they generously donated the house, along with many of its original furnishings, to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I have visited my fair share of iconic modern homes, but the moment I walked in, this one felt unique.

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written by:
Leslie Williamson
photos by:
Leslie Williamson
project:
J. Irwin Miller Residence
architects:
Eero Saarinen
location:
Columbus, Indiana
May 2011

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