The Miller House And Garden

Eero Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect. His works in Columbus are Irwin Union Bank (now Irwin Conference Center), The LEX (formerly North Christian Church), and Miller House. The son of architect Eliel Saarinen, he studied with his father and came to prominence in 1948 with his competition-winning design for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (The St. Louis Arch). He also designed interiors and furniture in the same simple, curving style as his exteriors.

From the Taschen book Saarinen, by Pierluigi Serraino: “Program, rather than scale, was the focus of Saarinen’s consciousness as a designer…his goal in designing domestic architecture remained unchanged even in later years: simplicity of the plan and interior. The Miller House…embodies just such an approach with astonishing clarity. To complement the stark quality of Saarinen’s walls, interior designer Alexander Girard added a folk overtone to the naked surfaces. The roof overhang extends beyond the glass line to shelter a five-foot swath of open space all the way around the house. Landscape architect Dan Kiley, Eero Saarinen’s long-time collaborator, designed a natural chessboard for the site, in which the project occupies one of the squares.”

The Miller House Garden is “considered to be (Kiley’s) residential masterpiece and an iconic Modernist garden,” and “the museum has established itself as an excellent steward of the site, setting a high standard for the curatorial treatment and management of Modernist landscape architecture. Their example is worthy of study, praise, and emulation by other stewards,” according to the Cultural Landscape Foundation.

Kiley and his Harvard contemporaries rejected the tenets of Beaux Arts design that then formed the core of the landscape architecture curriculum and went on to publish their own manifesto of modernism. To them, the field’s established catalogue of historical references and hierarchical spatial concepts reflected social conditions and intellectual assumptions that simply were no longer valid in twentieth-century America. Accordingly, Kiley’s garden—like Saarinen’s house—relies on a clear and strong geometric order, but without conventional symmetry, reliance on fixed points of reference, or paths of circulation that constrain the viewer’s experience. It is largely concerned with shaping spaces, composing relationships of solids and voids, and manipulating the interplay of volumes, rather than with creating specific garden views or with orchestrating complex floral combinations or bloom sequences.

The landscape’s grandest feature is an allée of honey locust trees that defines an axis along the west side of the house, extending almost to the limits of the property. With finely textured buff-colored crushed stone beneath the entire allée, the dark honey locusts stand out in sharp contrast, their lacy foliage gently filtering the sunlight. Subsequent to the allée’s construction, it received a sculptural terminus at each end: a bas relief by Jacques Lipschitz at the south and a reclining female figure by Henry Moore at the north; both were later sold at auction as part of the estate settlement.

Read more about Dan Kiley’s architectural landscape legacy

“Eero Saarinen turned the interior design details over to Alexander Girard who enlivened the rigorous architecture with brightly colored rugs, pillows, and wall hangings. “He made the house a home,” says Kevin Roche. “His sense of color was remarkable.” Behind the cylindrical fireplace in the living room, Girard designed storage cabinets for the Millers’ collection of antiques and art from all over the world. For seating, he sunk a fifteen-foot-square conversation pit into the floor. “The kids had overnight pajama parties in there,” recalls Irwin Miller.”- from Classic Modern: Midcentury Modern at Home By Deborah Dietsch

“Most of Girard’s 3D work doesn’t exist any more. That’s the downside of working on interiors, restaurants, exhibitions. That’s one reason why it is so important that the Miller House be open to the public, as a top-quality example of what he could do for space.” – Alexandra Lange, from Design Observer

Alexander Girard’s work imbued modern interiors with strong colors and playful patterns that brought warmth and comfort to rooms that might otherwise have seemed severe and uninviting. For the Miller House, Girard designed a wide range of interior architectural details, including a 50-foot long main storage wall and the conversation pit, as well as a seasonally changing program of textiles that enlivened the interiors. Working with Xenia Miller, he selected ornaments and antiques to personalize the house. He also designed several rugs for the house, including one composed of emblems that represent family history and associations. There are ‘Y’s for Yale (Mr. Miller’s alma-mater), representations for each child, and additional symbols of meaning to the family. Some of the chair cushions designed by Girard also feature the initials of family members. His passion for folk art is also visible in the objects chosen for the interior of the house. – from Indianapolis Museum of Art website

Go to the Alexander Girard page >

A total gem – a jaw-dropping example of modernist architecture incredibly preserved and thoughtfully presented. Absolutely not to be missed. (Tripadvisor, April 2023)

Don’t miss! – This tour is a must do during your stay in Columbus, but you must book well ahead of your visit. Enjoyed the very knowledgeable tour guide and visiting the mid-century home and gardens. (Tripadvisor review, Sep 2022)

The Miller house is exquisite. We have visited Wright’s Wingspread and Fallingwater and Mies’ Farnsworth house. The Miller house as an example of residential architecture and landscape design surpasses them all. (Tripadvisor, Sep 2021)

Do not miss if you like architecture. This is a comprehensive tour of an amazing work of modern architecture. The guide was extremely knowledgeable, and the house and gardens are packed with interest. (posted Oct 2020)

Our tour guide was so friendly and knowledgeable … Highly recommended for anyone who loves MCM design, or just has an appreciation for beautiful architecture. To see the talents of Saarinen, Girard and Kiley all in one place is an incredible honor… (posted Aug 2019)

Unbelievable residence. A must-see when in Columbus. Everything was truly unique. I am at a loss for words to describe how interesting the architecture was as well as the history behind the Miller Family. (posted Sep 2019)