42nd Annual Meeting – Architecture + Objects Session, May 29, “Modern Preservation for a Modernist City: Developing a District-Wide Preservation Plan for Columbus, Indiana”

If you are a fan of mid-century modern architecture, Columbus, Indiana, is not to be missed.  I drove straight there after hearing this NPR story about the “The Midwest Mecca of Architecture” in 2012, and was thus thrilled to attend Richard McCoy’s presentation on the subject.  The town of 44,000 residents boasts 7 of Indiana’s 35 National Historic Landmarks. 6 were designed between 1942 – 1965, when Cummins Inc. elected to pay all architect fees for new civic structures, attracting the likes of Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Richard Meier, I.M. Pei, Harry Weese, Henry Moore, and Dale Chihuly, to name a few.  Construction of schools, churches, parks, and office buildings was founded on the principle that the built environment is crucial to a quality community.
McCoy has been tasked with forming a preservation plan to preserve Columbus’ architectural wealth, while not restricting the town’s ability to grow and thrive within its historic landscape.  His talk, retitled “The Columbus Challenge”, discussed the initial stages of guiding the town- and its residents- into a new way of caring for its cultural heritage.
What is the goal? To create a preservation process for historic architecture, landscaping, and public art located within the Columbus Arts District.  The plan should be: useful and fun, foster community, educate, raise and distribute funds, and provide for a sustainable future.
How?  First, put information in highly visible places. As McCoy states: “If you can’t Google it and get back good information, then it doesn’t exist”.
Actions: Wikipedia inventories of landmarks, modern and historic buildings, public art, as well as architect biographies were published.  Public artworks were also made accessible on The Public Art Archive and CultureNOW’s Museum Without Walls. Several previously undocumented artworks were ‘discovered’, and a total of 440 building entries were recorded during the inventory process.
Next steps: Develop stakeholder support and engagement, as well as connect with allied organizations, understanding that all answers to a preservation policy must originate from- and be sustained by- the community itself.
Your next step: Visit Columbus. Take a tour and then eat ice cream at Zaharakos’ (est. 1900) marble counter.