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Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives, 536 5th Street, Columbus, IN (2026)

04/26/2026

What's one of our very favorite things, you ask? When people who use materials from our collection let the whole world know who created those materials! Give credit where credit is due, and we in the archives will love you.

Alt text: Credit creators. Ask permission. Be Honest. "But I found it online..." Doesn't mean it belongs to you. "It's just a picture..." Ignores that a real person created it. "It doesn't really matter..." Implies what you do also doesn't matter. "I don't have the time..." Erases the labor of creators & archivists. April 26 is World Intellectual Property Day. Learn more by searching World Intellectual Property Organization. "Intellectual Property (IP) refers to creations of the mind."

04/21/2026

As part of a new entry into Columbus, Indiana, Emilio Ambasz's 1989 proposed bridge was to portray Columbus "as a vital and thriving industrial city firmly rooted in its agrarian surroundings." An architect and industrial designer, Ambasz helped design two engines for the Columbus-based Cummins, Inc., the Cummins N-14 Diesel Engine (1982) and the Cummins X-Series Engine (1987).
His bridge was not built; instead, a design by French engineer Jean Muller was completed in 1999. Today the bridge is known as the Robert N. Stewart Bridge.
On UNESCO's World Creativity and Innovation Day, we celebrate Ambasz, Muller, and all the designers and engineers who have contributed to Bartholomew County's built environment.

Model photos by Richard Scanlan, 1990.

04/21/2026

As part of a new entry into Columbus, Indiana, Emilio Ambasz’s 1989 proposed bridge was to portray Columbus “as a vital and thriving industrial city firmly rooted in its agrarian surroundings.” An architect and industrial designer, Ambasz helped design two engines for the Columbus-based Cummins, Inc., the Cummins N-14 Diesel Engine (1982) and the Cummins X-Series Engine (1987).
His bridge was not built; instead, a design by French engineer Jean Muller was completed in 1999. Today the bridge is known as the Robert N. Stewart Bridge.
On UNESCO’s World Creativity and Innovation Day, we celebrate Ambasz, Muller, and all the designers and engineers who have contributed to Bartholomew County’s built environment.
Model photos by Richard Scanlan, 1990.

03/20/2026

What makes you happy? What sparks your joy? Jean Tinguely's kinetic sculpture "Chaos I" puts a smile on our faces. And we know we're not alone. Just take a look at Robert L. Gatten's March 1, 1974 letter in the Republic newspaper.

Tinguely created this collage after designing "Chaos I" for the Commons and Courthouse Center in Columbus, Indiana. The sculpture was completed in 1974. Watch Tinguley talk about "Chaos I" on our YouTube channel (ColumbusArchivesIN).

03/09/2026

On this International Women’s Day, we recognize the women after whom buildings were name. (All photos by Balthazar Korab.)
1) Three Fodrea sisters were all educators. For 43 years, Bessie Fodrea (1893–1974) taught in elementary schools in Bartholomew County, Indiana, with 33 of those years in Columbus. Her sister Hazel E. Fodrea (1902– 1974) taught for 40 years with 38 in Columbus. Mabel E. Fodrea Jordan (1902–1986), Hazel’s twin, taught one year in Bartholomew County. Fodrea Community School, designed by Caudill Rowlett Scott, opened in 1973.
2) Mabel E. McDowell (1880–1961) taught elementary school for 43 years. She taught in Decatur County, Indiana for 18 years before moving to Columbus, Indiana where she taught first grade for 25 years. The Mabel McDowell Elementary School, designed by John Carl Warnecke, opened in 1960.
3) Lillian C. Schmitt (1891–1959) taught first grade in Columbus, Indiana for 43 years. The Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary School was designed by Harry Weese and Associates, and it opened in 1957.
4) L. Frances Smith (1901–1971) taught for one year in Wayne Township and nine years at Jefferson School in Columbus, Indiana. She then was the director and supervisor of elementary education for Columbus City Schools for 24 years. The L. Frances Smith Elementary School was designed by John M. Johansen; it opened in 1969.
5) Cleo Rogers (1906–1964) was the assistant librarian for eight years and librarian (equivalent to today’s library director) for 28 years. The Cleo Rogers Memorial Library was designed by I.M. Pei & Partners, and it opened in 1969.

02/12/2026

Architects Cesar Pelli and Norma Sklarek worked alongside one another at Gruen Associates on The Commons and Courthouse Center in downtown Columbus, Indiana. That we most often hear
Pelli's name and very rarely Sklarek's reflects how much of the practice of architecture occurs out of public sight. Pelli designed the building, and Norma Sklarek ensured the design became reality by overseeing the production of construction drawings and, likely, the selection of materials.
Sklarek was a talented architect who was the director of architecture at Gruen Associates, vice president of Welton Becket Associates, and cofounder of the woman-owned firm Siegel Sklarek Diamond. Her career was one of many firsts: The first African American woman to graduate from Columbus University with a degree in architecture. The first licensed African Amerian woman architect in New York and California. The first African American woman to be a member of the American Instiute of Architects.
During this, the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, we recognize Norma Sklarek's important contributions to the field of architecture and the architecture of Columbus, Indiana. If you'd like to learn more about Norma Sklarek, head over to her biography on the Pioneering Women of American Architecture website.

01/28/2026

Five years before Paul Rand's Dancing C, Columbus, Indiana, had a very different mark to promote its modern architecture. On the cover of a 1968 guide to Columbus and its architecture was a purple ionic column capital under an architectural detail, in red, taken from a 19th-century building.
When the Visitors Center was established in 1973, Rand's Dancing C was introduced, appearing on both the walking tour and architectural tour pamphlets. That first year, the colors were red, orange, green, and white. It wasn't until 1974, with the publication of A Look at Architecture that the primary colors were used.

Which design do you prefer?

01/14/2026

The Dallas-based architecture firm of J. Herschel Fisher and Pat Y. Spillman proposed an expansion of Donner Center that would include athletic facilities, a senior center, activity rooms, and a "Columbus Assembly" building to accommodate 600 to 800 people. These drawings by William W. Martin were likely presented during an April 1966 meeting. At that time, Martin was teaching architecture at Arlington State University (now University of Texas Arlington) and freelanced as an illustrator for architecture firms. The proposed addition was not built.

11/21/2025

Join Sarah Marsom for a virtual workshop on celebrating and sharing your family memories this holiday season.

Do you have a cherished photo, letter, recipe or memento? Join Sarah Marsom for this vitural workshop to find ways to creatively transform, reuse, or replicate family mementos to create both gifts and connections to your family's history. Attendees are encouraged to bring their cherished object to the workshop to share its story and to collaboratively brainstorm caretaking strategies.

This series has been made possible through a Historic Preservation Grant from Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

11/14/2025

Join Sarah Marsom for a virtual workshop on celebrating and sharing your family memories this holiday season.

Do you have a cherished photo, letter, recipe or memento? Join Sarah Marsom for this vitural workshop to find ways to creatively transform, reuse, or replicate family mementos to create both gifts and connections to your family's history. Attendees are encouraged to bring their cherished object to the workshop to share its story and to collaboratively brainstorm caretaking strategies.

This series has been made possible through a Historic Preservation Grant from Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Register at mybcpl.org/event/15009489

Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives

04/26/2026

04/21/2026

04/21/2026

03/20/2026

03/09/2026

02/12/2026

01/28/2026

01/14/2026

11/21/2025

11/14/2025

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