Miller House
National Historic Landmark

Miller House

Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana
Listed
May 15, 2000
Type
Building
Period
Modern
Ref No.
00000706

About this property

The Miller House and Garden is a historic house museum at 2760 Highland Way in Columbus, Indiana, United States. It was designed by Eero Saarinen as a mid-century modern residence for the family of the businessman J. Irwin Miller and his wife Xenia Simons Miller. The interior designer Alexander Girard, the landscape architect Dan Kiley, and Saarinen's associate Kevin Roche assisted with various parts of the design. The house and gardens, owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) since 2009, are designated as a National Historic Landmark. Both the house and the gardens have been praised for their design over the years. The 13.5-acre (5.5 ha) plot of land, bounded by the Flatrock River on the west and Washington Street on the east, includes a meadow, two allées, and groves of trees. Kiley designed the landscape as an extension of the home, loosely divided into three sections extending from the house. The Miller House itself is a single-story house on a terrace, covered by a flat roof. It covers 6,838 square feet (635.3 m2) with six bedrooms. Inside, four zones branch off from a central living room that features a conversation pit. These four zones include rooms for parents, children, guests and servants, and service areas. Girard designed furnishings and furniture for the house, and the Millers displayed their art collection there. After Miller acquired the site in September 1953, he commissioned Saarinen for the project, commencing a two-year design process. The Taylor Brothers Construction Company began constructing the house in 1955, and the Millers began moving into the house in March 1957. Over the years, the Millers hosted many meetings and social gatherings at the house. The Millers made several changes to the original design, including removing an interior wall to enlarge a room. Though the Miller children gradually moved out of the house, their parents continued to live there for the rest of their lives; Irwin Miller died in the house in 2004, followed by Xenia Miller in 2008. After the IMA acquired the house, the property was renovated, opening to the public in May 2011.

Location

Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Land
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Geology
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The Civil War
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Questions about this property

When was Miller House listed on the National Register?

Miller House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 15, 2000.

What type of historic resource is Miller House?

Miller House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Miller House a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Miller House has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Miller House?

The period of significance for Miller House is recorded as the modern era.

Can I research the history near Miller House?

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