In many respects, Columbus, Indiana, is a typical small town of the American Midwest with a population of only 32,000 and a single company dominating its economic and civic life. Its main street, laid out in 1821, retains much of its 19th-century character, as does its most visible public building, the Victorian Bartholomew County Courthouse (1874) on the town square. However, Columbus also possesses one of the densest concentrations of modern architecture in the United States, with more than 50 buildings designed by internationally known firms. Columbus’ involvement with modern architecture is due largely to the patronage of J.Irwin Miller, the (now retired) chairman of Cummins Engine Company. Miller was exposed to modernism as an undergraduate at Yale University, where he developed an enthusiast’s interest in architecture and a belief in its potential to express the spirit of a community. In 1937, when his uncle and aunt donated land in downtown Columbus for their congregation’s new ...