Landmark Columbus Foundation
Landmark Columbus Foundation is a public resource and thought leader for Progressive Preservation in Bartholomew County; an advocate and educator for and about cultural heritage; and a source of inspiration to advance good design for public benefit throughout Indiana and beyond.
Mission
Care for, celebrate, and advance the cultural heritage of Columbus, Indiana and like-minded communities.
Values
We love the modern legacy of Columbus.
Good design positively shapes our lives.
We create stronger communities by working together.
Vision
Transform communities through design excellence.
Program Arms
To fulfill its mission, Landmark Columbus Foundation works in three key program areas intertwined in building the organization’s vision.
Columbus Design Institute is a technical service effort that promotes the value of good design which built Columbus and was defined by Heritage Fund. Collaborative projects and events are completed with partners to encourage meaningful investments in the sustainable and equitable development of communities.
Exhibit Columbus is an exploration of community, architecture, art, and design that activates the modern legacy of Columbus, Indiana. It creates a two-year cycle of programming that uses the context of Columbus to convene conversations around innovative ideas and then commissions site-responsive installations to create a free, public exhibition that demonstrates the power of art and architecture to make cities better places to live for everyone.
Progressive Preservation efforts assist in caring for buildings, landscapes, and art in Bartholomew County. Through research, conservation, fundraising, and documentation, it educates and advocates for the stewardship of cultural resources. This work demonstrates a community-based approach to addressing some of the country’s most complex heritage challenges.
Board of Directors
Mark Elwood
Chair
Chairman, Elwood Staffing
Tracy Haddad
Vice Chair
Owner, Golden Endeavors, LLC.
Surekha DiOrio
Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer, Indiana Youth Services Association and Director of Financial Services, Mission Management Services
Tobi Herron
Secretary
Executive Director, Administrative Resources association (ARa)
Rick Johnson
Founding Board Chair
President and CEO, Johnson Ventures, Inc.
Mary Ferdon
The Honorable Mayor of the City of Columbus
Betsy Laskey
Columbus Community Supporter and Volunteer
James Lienhoop
Former Mayor of the City of Columbus
Richard McCoy
Founding Executive Director, Landmark Columbus Foundation
Laura Miller
Director of Experiences and Technology, IBM iX
Hutch Schumaker
President, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Columbus, IN, Inc.
Tracy Souza
President and CEO, Heritage Fund
Nicholas Sprague
Director of Business Development, General Counsel at Sprague Company Hotel Developers
Misty Weisensteiner
Executive Director, Columbus Area Visitors Center
Annual Report
Since the organization’s founding in 2019, Landmark Columbus Foundation has released four annual reports: 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Click here to read and download any one of them.
A Legacy of Peace, Justice, and Equity
Landmark Columbus Foundation seeks to involve and engage all demographics of society as it fulfills its mission to care for, celebrate, and advance the cultural heritage in Bartholomew County. We are actively creating projects and events that are inclusive and accessible, and shaping platforms for diverse voices to be heard and involved in everything we do. We constantly strive to better understand the inequalities in our community, both past and present, and are committed to creating systemic change that benefits all.
Read our full statement about creating A Legacy of Peace, Justice, and Equity.
Organization History
Columbus has long demonstrated how the process of working together with shared values and thoughtful designers is an excellent way to build a great community—referred to locally as the Value of Good Design. Investing in this value created Columbus’ remarkable collection of architecture, art, and design, which has become a defining characteristic of our community and the city’s identity.
In 2015, Heritage Fund—The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County launched Landmark Columbus Foundation to ensure the Columbus values and investments in design excellence are well cared for and can remain a source of inspiration for future generations. With the support of many in the community and those around the state and country, this program quickly became a community asset that makes a big difference.
In late 2019 Landmark Columbus Foundation became a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization with the mission to care for, celebrate, and advance the cultural heritage of Columbus, Indiana. With a dedicated board of directors and staff, this organization was created to continue supporting the larger efforts of Heritage Fund through its three programs areas, and their corresponding projects and events. It frequently partners with local and international schools, organizations, and individuals to fulfill its mission.
Columbus, Indiana
Civic Identity
We are Columbus, Indiana: Designed for Living—a town of 50,000 that nurtures the virtues of small in the most ambitious of ways—to be the best city of its size in America.
Learn more about our civic identity.