11/19/2008

Associated Press

A Columbus family is donating a 1957 modernist-style home designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

The Miller House and Garden was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000. It was built for Cummins Corp. president J. Irwin Miller, who was instrumental in bringing modern architecture to Columbus, about 40 miles southeast of Indianapolis.

IMA director Maxwell L. Anderson says the museum will raise money to renovate the house and open it to the public. The Miller family has pledged $5 million toward a planned $8 million endowment for the house and surrounding grounds.

The seven-bedroom home features a sunken-level square conversation pit bordered on all four sides by cushioned seats.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com