Midwest Modern: Architecture in Columbus, Indiana
Lecture by Bradley Brooks
Bradley C. Brooks, director of historic resources and assistant curator of American Decorative Arts, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art presents a fascinating insight into the history of Modernism in Columbus, Indiana. From its early beginnings in the 1940's, local businessman and industrialist J. Irwin Miller planned a creative program to make Columbus the heart of outstanding architectural talent, leaving a legacy of civic, religious, business and residential structures, including his own residence, the famed Miller House designed by Eero Saarinen.
Mr. Brooks will relate the history of how this small community reached its lofty goals by attracting some of the world's finest architects, including Eliel Saarinin, Harry Weese, John Carl Warneke, I. M. Pei, Eliot Noyes, Kevin Roche and many more, to design an amazing architectural inventory that boasts over 70 important structures and was named the 6th most important city in America for architectural innovation and design by the American Institute of Architects.
Mr. Brooks, the author of "The Miller House & Garden", which is now a house museum owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and which opened its doors to the public for the first time in May of this year, offers his uniquely qualified presentation and slide show for the first time on the west coast.
Columbus has been described by the Smithsonian Magazine as "a veritable museum of modern architecture", by Dwell Magazine "as one of the country's most prized collections of buildings by modern architects" and by Wallpaper Magazine as a "modernist hotspot". With this lecture, we invite you to join us for this rare opportunity to discover the architectural treasures of Columbus, Indiana. Bradley C. Brooks was a featured speaker at the Winterthur Design Conference on 1950's architecture and design and at the Miller House and Garden symposium celebrating the opening of the Miller House Museum.
The event will be followed by a book signing of: The Miller House and Garden.