Columbus, Indiana

Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest city. It is also the principal city of the Columbus, Indiana, metropolitan statistical area which encompasses all of Bartholomew County.

Columbus is currently ranked 11th in the United States on the list of safest cities per population. National Geographic Traveler ranked Columbus 11th on its historic destinations list in late 2008, describing the city as "authentic, unique, and unspoiled." Columbus won the national contest "America in Bloom" in 2006, and in 2004 it was named one of "The Ten Most Playful Towns" by Nick Jr. Family Magazine. The July 2005 edition of GQ Magazine named Columbus one of the "62 Reasons to Love Your Country." Columbus is the headquarters of the engine company Cummins, Inc.

History
The land which is now Columbus was bought by General John Tipton and Luke Bonesteel in 1820. General Tipton built a log cabin on Mt. Tipton, a small hill overlooking White River and the surrounding flat, heavily forested and swampy valley. The town was known as Tiptonia, named in honor of General Tipton. The town's name officially was changed to Columbus on March 20, 1821. General Tipton was very upset by the change of names and decided to leave the newly founded town. He later became the Highway Commissioner for the State of Indiana and was assigned to building a highway from Indianapolis, Indiana to Louisville, Kentucky. When the road reached Columbus, Tipton constructed the first bypass road ever built; it detoured south around the west side of Columbus on its way to Seymour.

Joseph McKinney was the first to plot the town of Columbus, but no date was recorded.

It was recorded for years in the local history books that the land on which Columbus sits was donated by General Tipton; however, a deed purporting to show a sale of the land was acquired in 2003 by Historic Columbus Indiana. The deed indicated that General Tipton actually sold the land.

A ferry was established to avoid crossing both the Flatrock and Driftwood rivers, which join only a short distance above the site of the ferry. This became a village of three or four log cabins, and the first store was added in 1821. Later that same year, Bartholomew County was organized by an act of the State Legislature and named to honor the famous Hoosier militiaman, General Joseph Bartholomew. Columbus was incorporated as a city on June 28, 1864.

The first railroad in Indiana reached Columbus from Madison, Indiana in 1844. This was known as the Madison branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The railroad fostered the growth of the community into one of the largest communities in Indiana, and three more railroads reached the city by 1850.

Columbus is host to the oldest theater in the State of Indiana, the Crump Theatre, which was built in 1889 by John Crump. Today the building is an historical landmark and an all-ages venue with occasional musical performances. Columbus also is host to the former oldest continually operated bookstore in Indiana: Cummins Bookstore. The bookstore first began operations in 1892 and closed in late 2007.

The Irwin Union Bank building was built in 1954. It was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 2001 in recognition of its unique architecture. The building consists of a one-story bank structure adjacent to a three-story office annex. A portion of the office annex was built along with the banking hall in 1954. The remaining, much larger portion, designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, was built in 1973. Eero Saarinen designed the bank building with its glazed hall to be set off against the blank background of its three-story brick annex. Two steel and glass vestibule connectors lead from the north side of this structure to the annex. The building was designed to distance the Irwin Union Bank from traditional banking architecture, which mostly echoed imposing, neoclassical style buildings of brick or stone. Tellers were behind iron bars and removed from their customers. Saarinen worked to develop a building that would welcome customers rather than intimidate them.

Columbus has been home to many manufacturing companies, including Noblitt-Sparks Industries (which built radios under the Arvin brand in the 1930s) and Arvin Industries, now Meritor, Inc. After merging with Meritor Automotive on July 10, 2000, the headquarters of the newly created ArvinMeritor Industries was established in Troy, Michigan, the home of parent company, Rockwell International. It was announced in February of 2011 that the company name would revert to Meritor, Inc. Cummins, Inc. is by far the region's largest employer, and the Infotech Park accounts for a sizable number of research jobs in Columbus proper. Other notable industries include architecture, a discipline for which Columbus is famous worldwide. The late J. Irwin Miller (then president and chairman of Cummins Engine Company) launched the Cummins Foundation, a charitable program that helps subsidize a large number of architectural projects throughout the city by up-and-coming engineers and architects.

Early in the 20th century, Columbus also was home to a number of pioneering car manufacturers, including Reeves, which produced the unusual four-axle Octoauto and the twin rear axle Sextoauto, both around 1911.

Because Columbus is far enough from Indianapolis, it benefits tremendously from nearby commuters who recognize Columbus as a major city in its own right. Nearly 19,000 workers commute into the city from the surrounding townships and villages. In recent years city officials have explored ways to revitalize the city and return Columbus to the days when Miller's architectural innovation made it one of the most envied cities in the United States. Economic development, widespread beautification innovations, various tax incentives, and increased law enforcement have helped Columbus overcome what some considered a slump during the 1980s and 1990s.

Architecture and art
Columbus is a city known for its architecture. J. Irwin Miller, Co-Founder of the Cummins Engine Company, a local diesel engine manufacturer, instituted a program in which the Cummins company paid the architects' fee, provided the client selected a firm from a list compiled by Miller. The plan was initiated with public schools and was so successful that Miller decided to defray the design costs of fire stations, public housing, and other community structures. The high number of notable public buildings and sculptures in the Columbus area, designed by such individuals as Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Robert Venturi, Cesar Pelli, and Richard Meier have led to Columbus earning the nickname "Athens of the Prairie." Six buildings, built between 1942 and 1965, are National Historic Landmarks, and approximately 60 other buildings sustain the Bartholomew County seat's reputation as a showcase of modern architecture. National Geographic Magazine once devoted an entire article to the town's architecture.

National Historical Landmarks

 * First Baptist Church was designed by Harry Weese without windows and was dedicated in 1965. Its architectural features are meaningfully designed and include a high-pitched roof and skylight.


 * First Christian Church was designed by Eliel Saarinen with a 160-ft (49m) tower and was dedicated in 1942. Among the first Modern religious buildings in America, it includes a sunken terrace and a 900-person sanctuary.


 * Irwin Union Bank was designed by Eero Saarinen and includes an addition by Kevin Roche. The building was dedicated in 1954 and is possibly the first financial institution in America to use glass walls and an open floor plan.


 * The Mabel McDowell School opened in 1960 and was designed by John Carl Warnecke early in his career using his "early comprehensive diverse approach." The architect fee was the second to be funded by the Cummins Engine Foundation.


 * The Miller House was constructed in 1957 and was designed by Eero Saarinen and landscaped by Dan Kiley. One of the few residential designs by Saarinen, the home is a representation of International Style and was built for J. Irwin Miller.


 * North Christian Church was designed by Eero Saarinen and held its first worship in 1964. The hexagonal shaped building includes a 192-ft (59m) spire and houses a Holtkamp organ.

Other Notable Buildings

 * Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, by I. M. Pei
 * Columbus East High School, by Romaldo Giurgola
 * Commons Centre and Mall, by César Pelli
 * St. Peter's Lutheran Church, by Gunnar Birkerts
 * Lincoln Elementary School, by Gunnar Birkerts
 * Otter Creek Golf Course, by Harry Weese
 * Fire Station #4, by Robert Venturi
 * The Republic Newspaper (former building), by Myron Goldsmith



Notable Sculptures

 * Large Arch, sculpture by Henry Moore
 * Chaos I, sculpture by Jean Tinguely

Geography
Columbus is located at 39.21389°N, -85.91111°W (39.213998, −85.911056). The Driftwood and Flatrock Rivers join at Columbus to form the East Fork of the White River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.4 square miles (68.3 km²), of which, 26.0 square miles (67.2 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (1.59%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 39,059 people, 15,985 households, and 10,566 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,505.3 people per square mile (581.1/km²). There were 17,162 housing units at an average density of 661.4 per square mile (255.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.32% White, 2.71% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 3.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 2.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Households
Of the 15,985 households 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were composed of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.94.

Ages
The population consisted of 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24 years, 29.5% from 25 to 44 years, 23.0% from 45 to 64 years, and 13.7% over the age of 65. The median age was 36 years. There were 92.8 males for every 100 females and 89.6 males for every 100 females over age 18.

Income
The median income for a household was $41,723, and the median income for a family was $52,296. Males had a median income of $40,367 versus $24,446 for females, and the per capita income was $22,055. Approximately 6.5% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Entertainment
There is currently one mainstream movie theatre, AMC 12, which shows new movies, and the Yes! Cinema shows independent, older, and foreign films from its location downtown. The landmark Crump Theatre featured occasional local performances, such as comedy and local rock or punk bands, but is no longer in service.

Famous natives and residents

 * Stevie Brown: NFL linebacker
 * Wallace Coleman: Distinguished Service Cross recipient
 * Clessie Cummins: inventor, mechanic, salesman, and founder of engine manufacturer Cummins, Inc.
 * Robert Garton: longest serving member of the Indiana Senate
 * Arthur W Graham III: creator of first fully automatic electronic race timing & scoring system, long-time Indy 500 executive race official
 * Lee H. Hamilton: member of U.S. Congress and co-chair of the 9/11 Commission
 * Jamie Hyneman: host of MythBusters
 * Blair Kiel: NFL player
 * Gunner Kiel: 2011 best high school quarterback
 * Quinn Lemley: singer
 * Forrest Lucas: owner/founder of Lucas Oil Products, sponsor of the Indianapolis Colts Lucas Oil Stadium
 * Scott McNealy: chairman & co-founder of Sun Microsystems
 * J. Irwin Miller: industrialist
 * Ryan Nerz: author of Eat This Book
 * Jeff Osterhage: television and film actor
 * Bob Paris: best-selling author, award-winning public speaker and social change agent, former Mr. Universe
 * Mike Pence: represents Indiana's 6th congressional district
 * Terry Schmidt: NFL cornerback
 * Angela Simpson: former resident, notorious murderess of Terry Neely, currently incarcerated in Phoenix, Arizona and awaiting trial for first degree murder
 * Allen Smith: contestant in the eighth season of NBC's The Biggest Loser
 * Stephen Sprouse: fashion designer
 * Tony Stewart: USAC, NASCAR, Indianapolis 500 driver and racetrack and race team owner
 * Jill Tasker: television and voice actor
 * Chuck Taylor: shoe designer and basketball player
 * Bruce Tinsley: creator of Mallard Fillmore
 * Herbert Wright: producer