Of all the prominent architects that have designed structures in Columbus, Indiana, Harry Weese designed the most — at least 18 built projects including many schools, houses, commercial buildings, and of course a couple for Cummins. But First Baptist Church is his only church, and arguably his overall best in Columbus.
If you don’t know about Columbus, Indiana, here’s a brief rundown. The Cummins Engine Company (now Cummins, Inc) is based in Columbus. In the 1950s J. Irwin Miller was president of the company. Not only a generous philanthropist, he believed in good design. And for the growing population of Columbus, he (and later his foundation) hired and paid architects like Weese, Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Kevin Roche, and Robert Venturi to design schools, firehouses, and other building here. Which makes Columbus a surprisingly world-class destination for architecture.
For the First Baptist Church, Weese initially wanted a more Brutalist building with poured concrete walls, painted white, and a contrasting timber and wood shingle roof. The congregation balked at the modern design so Weese modified the materials to a more traditional brick and slate, which also reduced the cost. And it’s these materials that give the church an almost medieval quality.
One of the main requirements was for large educational spaces. To satisfy this, without making a sprawling campus, Weese simply places the worship spaces — the church and a smaller chapel — on top of the classrooms.
Harry Weese loved his triangles and, as you can see, they abound here. But the harshness of the angles is softened by the round ends of both the church and chapel. And the bridge which spans the ‘moat’ on the front of the building adds a further medieval feel to the church.
Inside you can see the triangle motif continued in both the nave & chapel. Windows that follow the roof all the way up provide the dramatic lighting for the altar area.
Behind the altar wall is the organ and space for the choir.
Daniel Kiley was the Landscape Architect, and the whole design of the First Baptist Church — church and landscape — make for a very satisfying visit. I visited twice, the first time I just walked around the outside. For the second I contacted the church and arranged for an inside docent tour.
