McDowell Adult Education

John Carl Warnecke

1960

McDowell Elementary used a “cluster plan” of four small classroom groups connected by trellised walkways around a taller central commons. Warnecke, a Harvard-trained architect influenced by Walter Gropius, emphasized contextualism and drew inspiration from Indiana’s farmhouses, silos, and rural landscape. Converted to an adult education center in 1982 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000, the building reflects both innovation in school design and Warnecke’s early career vision.