Cummins Engine Company head J. Irwin Miller (1909–2004) promoted architecture in Columbus through a program in which the company paid the architects’ fee, provided clients selected a firm from a list compiled by Miller. The program was initiated with public schools, and later included fire stations, public housing, and other community structures. In 1954, Eero Saarinen designed the Irwin Union Bank and Trust (now renamed the Irwin Conference Center). Its aesthetic is credited with influencing the design of financial institutions for the next several decades, largely due to the architect’s approach to openness and transparency.
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Columbus, Indiana
Dwell Magazine : July / August 2017 Photo 4 of 15 in Ode to a Forward-Thinking America: Columbus, Indiana

Ode to a Forward-Thinking America: Columbus, Indiana

4 of 15

Cummins Engine Company head J. Irwin Miller (1909-2004) promoted architecture in Columbus through a program in which the company paid the architects’ fee, provided clients selected a firm from a list compiled by Miller. The program was initiated with public schools, and later included fire stations, public housing, and other community structures. In 1954, Eero Saarinen designed the Irwin Union Bank and Trust (now renamed the Irwin Conference Center). Its aesthetic is credited with influencing the design of financial institutions for the next several decades, largely due to the architect's approach to openness and transparency.