Consul General of Finland Visits Columbus’ Four Saarinen Landmarks
Ambassador Jarmo Sareva toured all four of the National Historic Landmarks designed by Finnish architects Eliel and Eero Saarinen
Above from left: Richard McCoy, Edie Blakeslee, Mark Elwood, Sarla Kalsi, Jarmo Sareva, Mary Ferdon, Jaana Sareva with Bandit, Rich Johnson, and Ben Wever. Photo by Hadley Fruits.
Columbus, Indiana — Columbus is home to four National Historic Landmarks designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen, an extraordinary concentration of work by the Finnish father and son. On July 21, Landmark Columbus Foundation (LCF) hosted Ambassador Jarmo Sareva, Finland’s consul general in New York, and Jaana Sareva for a visit to all four properties.
The Sarevas began at First Christian Church, designed by Eliel Saarinen and completed in 1942, where they were welcomed by Executive Pastor Tim Bond. The downtown visit continued at Cummins Inc.’s Irwin Conference Center, originally Irwin Union Bank and Trust, designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1954.
They then visited Miller House and Garden, designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1957, with Ben Wever, site administrator for Newfields. The tour ended at The LEX, formerly North Christian Church, designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1964, now a branch of the Bartholomew County Public Library. Together, the four Saarinen properties account for more than half of Columbus’ seven National Historic Landmarks.
“Every Finn grows up with Eliel Saarinen’s landmarks in and around Helsinki: the Central Railway Station, the National Museum, and Hvitträsk, a museum dedicated to Eliel Saarinen,” said Jarmo Sareva. “To come to Columbus and experience both Eliel’s and Eero’s masterpieces is to appreciate the extraordinary legacy of a Finnish father and son whose vision helped shape Finland’s identity while leaving an enduring mark on American architecture. That is a source of great pride for Finland.”
“A city of fifty thousand people in southern Indiana holds four National Historic Landmarks designed by a Finnish father and son,” said Richard McCoy, Founding Executive Director of Landmark Columbus Foundation. “That fact still astonishes me. It exists because this community recognized the value of the Saarinens’ work and continued to care for it across three generations. Visiting all four in one day with Finland’s consul general was a reminder that Columbus belongs to an international heritage conversation that it helped begin.”
At lunch, the Sarevas met with Mayor Mary Ferdon, who also serves on the LCF Board of Directors, and civic and institutional leaders involved with the stewardship of Columbus’ design legacy. Participants included Rick Johnson, Founding Board Chair of Landmark Columbus Foundation; Mark Elwood, Immediate Past Chair; Edie Blakeslee, Board Secretary and President and CEO of Heritage Fund of Bartholomew County; Sarla Kalsi, retired President and CEO of Irwin Management Company; and Ben Wever of Miller House and Garden.
The visit continued a relationship that began in 2023, when Sareva spoke through a recorded video message at an LCF Progressive Preservation Talk and recognized the community campaign to restore the 166-foot tower at First Christian Church.
For tour photos, visit this link. Photo credits are: Hadley Fruits for Landmark Columbus Foundation.
Above: Consul General of Finland, Jarmo Sareva, overlooking the gardens at Miller House and Garden. Photo by Hadley Fruits.
Media Contact
Jamie Goldsborough
jamie@landmarkcolumbus.org
About Landmark Columbus Foundation
Landmark Columbus Foundation exists to demonstrate what design excellence can mean to a community, earned through discipline, proven in public, and cared for as a legacy for the future. Through preservation, exhibitions, public art, research, and partnerships, the Foundation advances the cultural heritage and contemporary civic life of Columbus, Indiana, while sharing lessons with communities across Indiana and beyond. landmarkcolumbusfoundation.org
