Cummins Irwin Conference Center and Office Building

Irwin Union Bank and Trust
Excellent

Cummins Irwin Conference Center and Office Building

Credit

Hadley Fruits

Site overview

Designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1954, the former Irwin Union Bank and Trust is one of the earliest examples of an American bank designed with glass walls and an open plan, an influential Modernist style that was dramatically different from past solutions for bank design. The original landscape for the bank was designed by Dan Kiley, who included a single row of linden trees that enclosed the building on four sides, extending the structural system and connecting it to the urban context by redefining its façade line. A substantial addition to the bank was completed in 1973 by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, the successor firm to Eero Saarinen and Associates. The addition is compatible to the original building, as well as being a significant work of architecture in its own right. The central feature of the addition was a three-story glass arcade that faced the drivethrough/garden. The arcade, in which glass was treated as a sculptural material, functioned as an indoor garden.

Awards

Design

Citation of Merit

Commercial

The jury awards a Citation of Merit for the restoration of the Cummins Irwin Conference Center & Office Building. The jury notes that the design team showed great care in the project’s intervention in both the Eero Saarinen and Kevin Roche building, and the philosophy of the project was well articulated and executed. The jury also noted this project will aid the future preservation efforts of Columbus’ modern heritage as the community continues to recognize the value in the preservation of modern buildings.

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Client

Cummins Inc.

Restoration Team

Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates (Architectural Consultant)
Todd Williams and Associates (Architect)
Art Strategies (Fine Art Consulting)
AXIS Architecture + Interiors (Furnishings)
Blakley Corporation (General Contractor)
Blue Marble Design (Historical Planting Design)
Curtain Wall Design Consulting (Consultant)
Electronic Evolutions (AV Systems)
F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. (General Contractor)
McComas/O’Donnell & Naccarato (Structural Engineering)
Mussett Nicholas & Associates (MEP Engineering)
TLF Engineering (Structural Engineering)
Wright Consulting Associates (Acoustics)
Xibitz (Exhibition Design)

Primary classification

Commercial (COM)

Designations

U.S. National Register of Historic Places, listed on May 16, 2000 | U.S. National Historic Landmark, listed on May 16, 2000

How to Visit

Private corporate conference center

Location

500 Washington Street
Columbus, IN, 47201

Country

US
Credit:

Hadley Fruits

Designer(s)

Other designers

Landscape: Dan Kiley
Completion

1954

References

https://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/in/IrwinUnion.pdf