Irwin Conference Center

Texte de Wikipédia en anglais, en attente de traduction.

The Irwin Conference Center (also known as the Irwin Office Building and Conference Center; formerly known as the Irwin Union Bank Building) is a commercial building at 500 Washington Street, on the northwest corner of Washington and Fifth streets, in Columbus, Indiana, United States. The modern-styled building was constructed as the Irwin Union Bank's downtown Columbus branch. Eero Saarinen designed the one-story main building and the original three-story office wing in the early 1950s. His associates Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo of the firm Roche-Dinkeloo were responsible for a three-story office annex in the 1970s, along with a drive-through facility on the grounds. The landscape architect Dan Kiley added a lawn and trees. The building has received critical acclaim for its design over the years, and it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2000 for its architectural significance. The main building, at the street corner, has a square floor plan with a glass facade and a concrete roof with nine shallow domes. The original office wing, north of the banking hall, is set back behind another building and has a brick-and-concrete facade and windows. A steel-and-glass arcade leads westward to the annex, which is made of similar materials. Inside, the first floor of the main building is an open plan space with tellers' counters, a conference area, and furniture. A staircase descends to a basement that originally included a kitchen, dining area, vaults, and offices. The office wing and annex contain additional offices. The idea for the bank came from J. Irwin Miller, the president of the Irwin Union Trust Company (later the Irwin Union Bank) and a major architectural patron. He commissioned Saarinen to design a new building for the bank in 1950, and Irwin Union Trust acquired the site the next year. Although construction began in 1953, most work did not take place until the following year. The building opened on March 10, 1955. The design helped increase business at the Irwin Union Bank, and the bank decided to expand the building in 1970; the annex was completed in 1973. The bank acquired further properties nearby in the late 1980s and early 2000s. Due to the 2008 financial crisis, the Irwin Union Bank went into receivership in 2009. Afterward, the building was acquired by the First Financial Bank, which sold it the next year to the conglomerate Cummins. The bank building operated as a conference center and office building until 2020; it has been closed since.