Columbus’ Patrons, the Millers
It’s almost impossible to tell the story of Columbus, Indiana, without mentioning two people: J. Irwin and Xenia Miller.
The Miller family legacy can be found around every corner.
J. Irwin Miller’s great uncle, William G. Irwin, helped Clessie Cummins build one of the most reputable and cutting-edge engine manufacturing companies in the world in Columbus, Indiana. J. Irwin Miller joined the family business, Cummins Engine Co., in 1934. Mr. Miller became a leader in the company, gaining international prominence for the next four decades.
Xenia Miller, then Xenia Simons, also worked at Cummins in the purchasing department. Mr. and Mrs. Miller married in 1943. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were both philanthropists who were deeply involved in historic preservation, music, education, religion, architecture and more.
The Cummins Foundation made its first grant to pay architects fees in 1957. That grant repeated several times over, eventually became the Cummins Foundation Architecture Program. It has funded design fees for over 60 public projects to-date and has attracted leading architects and designers from around the world to Columbus.
Mr. Miller once said, “Architecture is something you can see. You can’t see a spirit or a temperament or a character, though, and there’s an invisible part of this community that I’m very proud of…because, in a democracy, I think that the process is more important than the product.”
TOUR the Miller House and Downtown Columbus to see J. Irwin and Xenia Miller’s legacy for yourself.
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