The Inn at Irwin Gardens in Columbus, Indiana is a 1910 Edwardian mansion that was originally built by a family of bankers. The 13,000-square-foot home, designed in an Italianate style, was enlarged and redesigned several times over the years to accommodate generations of the Irwin family. The mansion was the work of Massachusetts architect Henry A. Phillips, hired by William G. Irwin in 1910. The mansion has intricate woodwork and moldings throughout that are reminiscent of European estates. The exterior was covered in tapestry brick with stone trim and new chimneys were added. The roof was recovered in slate and the pitch was altered to provide more space on the third floor. The east side of the home now has a raised terrace that leads to the adjoining Garden.
The two-acre property is famous for its Italianate garden based on the Casa degli Innamorati in Pompeii. The garden features several fountains and a pool at the center. There is a statue under the center arch of the garden house designed from a lakeside structure at the Villa of Hadrian at Tivoli, Italy. The garden house also has Pompeian murals that accent the space. The tall brick wall is rounded in the manner of 16th-century gardens in Mantua, Italy. The terrace’s pergolas have wisteria vines that were planted in 1911 and bloom in the spring. The only two items that do not follow the Italian motif are the English sundial and a Japanese bronze elephant sculpture.
Clessie Cummins, founder of Cummins Engine Co., once served as chauffeur to the Irwin family. Clessie first began ‘tinkering’ in the Irwin mansion’s garage, where he developed the ideas and technology for a high-speed diesel engine. With the backing of William Glanton Irwin, his ideas became the cornerstone product of Cummins, Inc., a $13 billion Fortune 500 company. William G. Irwin’s great-nephew and the son of Clessie’s boss, J. Irwin Miller, was born and raised in the mansion. Miller went on to become President and Chairman of Cummins and he and his wife Xenia formed the Cummins Foundation that ultimately led to the development of a trove of modern architecture in Columbus, Indiana.
Posted by dockerdee64 on 2016-09-06 22:06:31