For the thirteenth installment of The Library is Open, Matt Shaw presents his book American Modern: Architecture; Community; Columbus, Indiana (Phaidon, 2024), followed by a response from Jorge Otero-Pailos (GSAPP).

The midwestern city of Columbus, Indiana, is more than a mecca of modern architecture; it is an example of how design can help foster a remarkable community. The dozens of buildings and projects by legendary architects – from mid-century titans such as Eero Saarinen and I. M. Pei to contemporary practitioners Deborah Berke and IwamotoScott – remain integral to its urban fabric. American Modern: Architecture; Community; Columbus, Indiana explores Columbus’s optimistic program of bold new architecture and landscapes, initiated by the legendary industrialist J. Irwin Miller and local leaders, and the generations-long quest to develop the ideal American city through design excellence. This is the first in-depth history of Columbus, Indiana, demonstrating the unique convergence of civic, industrial, and social forces that produced the pre-eminent laboratory of architectural modernism in the USA. It presents a rich showcase of outstanding, generation-spanning architects and is published in association with Landmark Columbus Foundation, the civic organization behind the progressive preservation and promotion of the city’s architectural heritage, as well as the producer of the acclaimed program Exhibit Columbus, a two-year cycle of events that uses the context of Columbus to host conversations around innovative ideas and then commissions site-responsive installations in a free, public exhibition.

Learn more about American Modern: Architecture, Community; Columbus, Indiana

Matt Shaw, a Columbus, Indiana native, is an author, editor, and columnist. The former executive editor of The Architect’s Newspaper, his writing has appeared in New York Times, The Guardian, Architectural Review, Domus, and Artforum. He teaches at several schools including Southern California Institute of Architecture and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Library is Open is a lunchtime series featuring recently published works and their authors, curated by Bart-Jan Polman, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programming and Curator of the Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery at Columbia GSAPP. Hosted in a central location in Avery Hall, the LiO series honors GSAPP’s historical connection to Avery Library, the world’s largest Architecture library.**

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