Different by Design: How Columbus, Indiana Became an Architectural Destination
Join the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio & Mid-Century Modern Midland for a morning and afternoon centered on the magnificent Mid-Century Modern Legacy of Midland, Michigan and Beyond on May 16.
Start your late morning with Erin Hawkins, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications for Visit Columbus, as she presents her lecture “Different by Design: How Columbus, Indiana Became an Architectural Destination” at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Auditorium at 11 AM.
The Columbus, IN native has spent more than a decade sharing the city’s remarkable architecture and design legacy with people from around the world. She is passionate about telling the story of how her hometown became one of the most architecturally significant cities in the country and about the lasting impact of growing up in a place where thoughtful design shapes everyday life.
Her talk will explore the remarkable story behind one of America’s most celebrated collections of modern architecture and the vision that shaped it. Drawing on her extensive local knowledge and a passion for design, Hawkins will examine how a small Midwestern city transformed itself into a world-renowned hub for architecture. The parallels between Columbus, a city with 70+ Mid-Century Modern (MCM) structures driven by the 1950s Cummins Architecture Program, and Midland, home to more than 400 MCM homes, churches, civic and commercial buildings, rooted in the influence of Alden B. Dow, are many. This talk galvanizes how each community celebrates Modernism for both residents and visitors alike.
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a late afternoon book signing for “Mid-Century Modern Midland,” the recently released 244-page book by authors Craig McDonald and Carol Neff, at Barnes & Noble Midland, 6800 Eastman Avenue, from 3-5 PM. “Mid-Century Modern Midland” chronicles Midland’s unprecedented architectural legacy and validates Midland, MI as the Mid-Century Modern (MCM) City of America.