TIMELINE FOR COLUMBUS DEVELOPMENT

1810 - 1839

1816, Indiana becomes a state
1818, Bartholomew County first county designated
1821, County established

1840 - 1870

1846, First Mayor elected
1848, Railroad from Madison to Indianapolis comes through Columbus in middle of town
1860-70, Thirteen mills in the county

1870 -1899

1871, Irwin Bank founded by Joseph I. Irwin
1873, Dunlap & Co. started
1874, Bartholomew County Court House by Isaac Hodgson
1881-98: Charles F. Sparrell, MIT graduate, first architect in town, City Hall, 5 schools, opera house, First Methodist Church, Washington street stores, and residences
1888, Reeves Pulley Co. founded by M.O., M.T. and G.L. Reeves (Charles F. Sparrell)
1890, Orinoco Furniture Co. founded
1894, Public library founded

1900 - 1939

1901, City Power House built by Harrison Albright
1903, Andrew Carnegie Library dedicated
1910, Original 1864 Joseph Ireland Irwin home and gardens added to by Henry A. Phillips
1913, County hospital, first in Indiana, established
1915, Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce founded
1919, Clessie Cummins develops diesel engine. Cummins Engine Co. founded
1921, Bartholomew County Historical Society organized
1922, Columbus Symphony organized
1925, Columbus Art League organized
1931, Noblitt Sparks moves to Columbus from Indianapolis
1935, Stadler Packing Co. formed by three Stadler brothers
1939, Hamilton brothers begin Hamilton Cosco Co.

1940 - 1959

1940, Camp Atterbury built in northwest Bartholomew Co.
1942, Fire Station #1/Central Fire Station by Leighton Bowers
1942, First Christian Church by Eliel Saarinen
1942, Atterbury Air Base built north of Columbus
1946, Columbus acquired Walesboro Airport from federal gov.
1948-51, Columbus Master Plan prepared by Lawrence Sheridan
1949, First Zoning and Subdivision Regulations adopted
1950s, Cummins plant one, and Columbus Village apartments by Harry Weese
1954, Community fund drive builds Memorial Gymnasium
1954, Irwin Union Bank by Eero Saarinen
1954, Interstate-65 constructed on West side of Columbus
1955, East Columbus annexed
1956, J. Irwin Miller residence by Eero Saarinen
1957, Schools consolidated in county; elected school board
1957, Cummins Engine Co. makes first gift for design for Lillian C. Schmitt elementary school
1957, Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary school by Harry Weese
1958, Hamilton Center Ice Arena by Harry Weese
1958, 4-H Fairground opened

1960 - 1979

1960, Redevelopment Commission appointed for downtown
1960, Mabel McDowell Elementary School by John Carl Warneke
1960, Columbus Arts Guild organized
1960s, Death Valley reclaimed for river front park
1961, Northside Middle School by Harry Weese
1962, Hamilton Cosco Co. offices by Harry Weese
1962, Parkside Elementary School by the Architects Collaborative, Inc.
1963, Ivy Tech established
1963, Annexation of IN 46 West
1964, North Christian Church by Eero Saarinen
1965, First Baptist Church by Harry Weese
1965, Washington Street building painting plan by Alexander Girard
1965, W. D. Richards Elementary School by Edward Larrabee Barnes
1966, Redevelopment/Urban Renewal Plan
1967, Lincoln Elementary School by Gunnar Birkerts
1967, Fire Station #4 by Venturi & Rauch
1968, Master Plan for downtown Skidmore Owings & Merrill in association with Sasaki, Dawson, DeMay Associates
1968 Cummins Engine Company Technical Center by Harry Weese
1969, Bartholomew County Public Library by I.M. Pei
1969, Southside Elementary School by Eliot Noyes
1969, Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) formed
1970, U. S. Post Officd by Roche Dinkeloo & Associates
1970, Open Housing Ordinance adopted
1971, IUPUI Columbus opens
1971, The Republic Newspaper Office by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
1972, Columbus East High School by Mitchell-Giurgola Associates
1972, Columbus Regional Hospital Mental Health Center by James Stewart Polshek
1972, Air Force base deeded to Columbus for industrial park
1972, Annexation South I 65 for Woodside Industrial area
1973, Cummins Occupational Health Center by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates
1973, Income tax (CAGIT) adopted for Bartholomew County
1973, Washington Street Plan prepared by Laurence Alexander
1973, Visitors Center renovated by Bruce Adams, tours begin
1973, The Commons/Courthouse Center by Cesar Pelli
1974, City Power House converted into Senior Center
1976, Economic Development Board/ first foreign recruitment
1976, Heritage Fund, the Community Foundation founded
1977, Preserve to Enjoy organized
1978, Tipton Lakes PUD designed by Phil Franks, architect and planner, Kise, Franks & Straw, Inc. annexation

1980 - 1999

1981, City Hall by SOM dedicated
1982, Sycamore Place Apartments by Charles Gwathmey
1982, Clifty Creek Elementary by Richard Meier & Partners, Architects
1982, Established National Register Historic District
1983, Central Area Plan prepared by SOM
1983, Cummins Engine Company Corporate Headquarters by Roche Dinkeloo & Associates
1988, St. Peter's Lutheran Church by Gunnar Birkerts
1988, Focus 2000 planning committee appointed
1988, Columbus Area Arts Council formed
1988, Some Community Ideas prepared by CRSS, Paul Kennon
1990, Streetscape designed by Paul Kennon, CRSS
1990, Bartholomew County Jail by Don M. Hisaka
1992, Columbus Regional Hospital by Robert A.M. Stern and Falick Klein Associates
1992, Mill Race Park by Michael Van Valkenburgh and Stanley Saitowitz for Quincentennial Legacy project
1993, Visitors Center and VIP merge in Kevin Roche designed/enlarged Visitors Center
1994, Columbus receives All-America City Award
1994, Downtown Marketplace prepared by Rouse Company
1994, Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center established
1995, A New Kind of Downtown prepared by Bill Johnson
1996, Landscape Ordinance adopted
1996, Chamber of Commerce Community Education Coalition formed
1997, Sign Ordinance adopted
1997, Gateway Arch Bridge by Jean Muller and Front Door project by Michael Van Valkenburgh & Storrow & Kinsella
1999, Second Street Bridge by Jean Muller

2000 - 2010

2000, National Historic Landmarks designates 6 buildings
2002, Downtown Plan prepared by Graham Wyatt, Robert A M Stern Architects
2003, Menard’s Development begins on W IN 46
2003, Redevelopment Commission established, TIF district
2004, Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives organized
2004, USSSA sponsorship of amateur sports
2005, Columbus Learning Center by Kevin Kennon, KPF Architects
2006, EcO 15 Management Training Regional Plan
2007, Central Middle School by Perkins & Will
2007, Design for Entertainment District by Koetter & Kim
2009, EDIT tax adopted by Bartholomew County
2010, Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence by Cesar Pelli
2010, Mill Race Center: A Community Center for Active Adults