The Cummins Corporate Office Building in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

is a

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

office building designed by

Kevin Roche Eamonn Kevin Roche (June 14, 1922 – March 1, 2019) was an Irish-born American Pritzker Prize-winning architect. He was responsible for the design/master planning for over 200 built projects in both the U.S. and abroad. These projects in ...

. Constructed in 1983, the building serves as the corporate headquarters of the

Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...

engine company. It was constructed on an old railroad yard and is unique for being built around the Cerealine Building, which was Cummins' first factory building.

Background

Cummins CEO

J. Irwin Miller Joseph Irwin Miller (May 26, 1909 – August 16, 2004) was an American industrialist, patron of modern architecture, and lay leader in the Christian ecumenical movement and civil rights. He was instrumental in the rise of the Cummins Corpor ...

had "a lifelong interest in architecture", and in the 1950s established a foundation to pay architecture fees for new public buildings in Columbus and Bartholomew County. When Cummins decided to construct a new corporate headquarters, it turned to Pritzker Prize-winning architect,

Structure

The building is built on a three-block plot of land that formerly served as a

rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...

in downtown Columbus. As part of its distinctive construction, Roche built the new precast concrete structure around the original Cerealine Building, which served as Cummins' first factory and administrative offices. The original building was also renovated to serve as the cafeteria for the employees of the company. Roche used precast concrete and glass as his primary building elements in the building. Jack Curtis executed the landscaping for the facility, including the large open green area on the eastern side that is open to the public as a park. As of 2013, it remained in use as Cummins' corporate headquarters. In 2017 Cummins began a $50 million renovation of the building, scheduled for completion in 2019.

Sculpture

As part of the construction, Roche incorporated a

Rudolph de Harak Rudolph de Harak, also Rudy de Harak (April 10, 1924 – April 24, 2002), was an American graphic designer. De Harak was notable as a designer who covered a broad spectrum of applications with a distinctly modernist aesthetic. He was also influentia ...

sculpture known as the ''Exploded Engine'' in the lobby of the building.

References

External links

* {{Cummins Headquarters in the United States Office buildings completed in 1983 Buildings and structures in Bartholomew County, Indiana Modernist architecture in Indiana Columbus, Indiana Roche-Dinkeloo buildings Cummins