On June 1, Indiana Landmarks’ popular “Back to the Future” tour examines the evolution of architecture on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus, inviting the public to see how modern design developed at the school by visiting five landmarks built from the 1930s through today.

Tourgoers will explore landmarks by renowned architects including A.M. Strauss, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and I.M. Pei, including unique highlights at each site, such as murals by famed artist Thomas Hart Benton, historic artifacts from the special collections of Lilly Library, and artwork at the University Art Museum.

“Indiana University presents a diverse selection of architectural styles across the Bloomington campus, one often listed among the 10 most beautiful in America,” says Adam Thies, Indiana University’s associate vice president for capital planning. “The introduction of the design aesthetic of the mid-century is prevalent on the campus and sits in a family of styles that range from Romanesque to Brutalist and beyond.”

Now in its 17th year, Back to the Future is presented by Indiana Modern, an affinity group of Indiana Landmarks that works to preserve and promote the best of mid-twentieth century architecture, design, and landscapes across the state.

“This year’s tour provides the opportunity to explore some of the best Modern architecture in the state in a collaboration with Indiana University,” says Mark Dollase, organizer of the “Back to the Future” tour.

Tour stops include the following:

• Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design (2021). In the 1950s, the Alpha Theta chapter of IU fraternity Pi Lamba Phi hired Mies to design a fraternity house that was never built. Forgotten by most for decades, Mies’ design resurfaced in 2013 after Sidney Eskenazi, a fraternity member who attended IU in 1952, mentioned the plans’ existence to IU President Michael McRobbie. The school embarked on a research mission, eventually locating project drawings and documentation in the archives of the Art Institute of Chicago and New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The rediscovered plans guided creation of the present-day school by New York architecture firm Thomas Phifer and Partners. Spanning 10,000 square feet and two stories, the white steel-frame Eskenazi School looks similar in design to Mies’ groundbreaking Farnsworth House completed in 1951 near Chicago.
• Woodburn Hall (1940). Woodburn Hall was completed in 1940 to house IU’s School of Business. Executed in Indiana limestone with Art Deco and Collegiate Gothic-influenced design elements, the New Deal-era landmark was one of a few campus buildings designed by architect A.M. Strauss and hints at the beginning of modern building forms on campus. Tourgoers will be allowed access to Woodburn Hall 100, where docents will explain the history of the room’s murals by Thomas Hart Benton, originally part of a 26-panel mural the State of Indiana commissioned Benton to paint for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair showing the state’s history from its origins to the 1930s. After the fair, the artwork remained in storage at the Indiana State Fairgrounds until IU acquired the panels, dividing them among three campus buildings. Woodburn Hall became the home of two panels representing the 1920s, one depicting industry in the Calumet region and the other showing scenes representing the state’s history of parks, circus, press, and the Ku Klux Klan. Discussions over the artwork’s complicated material led IU officials to decide to no longer use Woodburn Hall 100 for regular classes but to make it available for special events.
• Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art (1982). Opened in 1982 as the Indiana University Art Museum, the building was created by architect I.M. Pei with triangular forms and a soaring atrium. Pei’s other museum designs include similar light-filled design elements, including the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre in Paris and the East Building of Washington D.C.’s National Gallery of Art. The museum underwent a $30 million renovation in 2016 and visitors will learn how the update reconfigured spaces to make the building a teaching facility while respecting Pei’s original vision.
• Lilly Library (1960). The Classical-influenced Lilly Library is a limestone landmark that holds the university’s rare books, manuscripts, and special collections. Built in 1960 to house the private library donated by Josiah K. Lilly Jr., today its extensive holdings include the New Testament of the Gutenberg Bible, Abraham Lincoln’s law office desk, Shakespeare’s First Folio, and Audubon’s Birds of America, among other notable items. The building reopened in 2021 following a top-to-bottom renovation to modernize the space and better present its collections. The update included installation of a mural by Ralph Gilbert in the reading room that references some of the works in the library’s collections.
• Beck Chapel (1957). Created through a gift in 1941 by Indiana University alumni Frank and Daisy Beck, this picturesque chapel—the university’s first—was built to be a nondenominational place of prayer and meditation. Constructed of Indiana limestone and using wood from southern Indiana forests, the chapel’s design incorporates religious symbols from various faith traditions. Along with serving its intended purpose as a meditative space for the public, today the chapel is used for weddings, memorial services, recitals, and other events.

WHAT: Indiana Modern “Back to the Future” Tour

WHEN: Saturday, June 1 from noon to 5 p.m. EDT

WHERE: Check in on the lower level of Indiana Memorial Union, Indiana University Bloomington, 900 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405

COST: Advance tickets cost $15 per person. Day-of-tour tickets are $20, available at tour headquarters.

TICKETS: Buy tickets at https://am.ticketmaster.com/iustudent/BackToTheFuture24

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Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, strengthens connections to our diverse heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.