7 Midwestern Towns for Fans of Modern Architecture

While major coastal cities like New York and Los Angeles boast numerous iconic landmarks, architecture enthusiasts shouldn’t dismiss the Midwest as just flyover territory. The region features one of the most vibrant 20th-century architecture scenes in the U.S., showcasing award-winning, innovative structures from bustling cities like Minneapolis and Detroit to artistic suburbs like Oak Park, and even smaller towns such as Columbus, Indiana, which boasts more notable buildings than cities ten times its size. In these seven towns, architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Eero Saarinen, and I.M. Pei have reshaped the American architectural landscape with their unique homes, museums, libraries, and churches—many of which have received UNESCO World Heritage and National Historic Landmark designations.

Columbus, Indiana

Few cities rival this town of approximately 50,000, located about 40 miles south of Indianapolis, in terms of architectural significance. This is largely due to one individual: starting in the 1950s, J. Irwin Miller, the CEO of Cummins (an engine manufacturing company), generously covered the architectural fees for public buildings in the area. His patronage resulted in a range of structures—churches, banks, schools, libraries, and newspaper offices—designed by renowned figures such as Eliel and Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Richard Meier, and César Pelli, earning the town the title “Athens on the Prairie.” Currently, seven of these structures hold the designation of National Historic Landmarks, and the city offers a two-hour guided shuttle tour highlighting some of these sites ($30). Among the landmark buildings is Miller’s own midcentury-modern residence from 1953, featuring designs by Eero Saarinen, interiors by Alexander Girard, and landscaping by Dan Kiley. After Miller passed away, the house was given to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, where visitors can discover more about one of the greatest patrons of American modernist architecture on a 90-minute tour of his home ($30).

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit’s skyline features a wealth of art deco skyscrapers, reflecting its status as an economic powerhouse in the early 20th century. Known as the Motor City, it’s also a prime destination to admire the designs of Japanese American architect Minoru Yamasaki, famed for creating the Twin Towers. To explore his works, visit the campus of Wayne State University, which includes four of his buildings: the 1958 McGregor Memorial Conference Center, known for its tranquil reflecting pool and geometric skylight; the 1960 College of Education building, adorned with 120 precast concrete “trees”; the 1964 Prentis Building, which embodies the international style; and the 1964 Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium, featuring Gothic-inspired arches. Throughout the metro area, you can also find Yamasaki’s creations, including One Woodward Avenue (his inaugural skyscraper), the Federal Reserve Bank Annex, and Temple Beth El, notable for its unique shape reminiscent of the biblical Tent of Meeting.

New Harmony, Indiana

From 1814 to 1927, New Harmony was the site of two utopian communities, the Harmonists and the Owenites, leaving behind a collection of 19th-century vernacular buildings that have been lovingly preserved as part of the New Harmony Historic District. (Tours are available through the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites for $12.) However, New Harmony, located near the southern tip of Indiana along the Wa River, is not just a relic of the past. After marrying a descendant of one of the community's founders, oil heiress Jane Blaffer Owen commissioned a variety of architectural and public art projects. Among the standout additions is the Athenaeum, a striking white visitor center designed by Richard Meier, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect behind Los Angeles's Getty Center, which features ramps and a spacious viewing deck. Another highlight is Philip Johnson’s Roofless Church, a favored venue for weddings. This church is part of the Jane Blaffer Owen Sanctuary, a garden and sculpture park that offers guided tours, concerts, art workshops, and more.

Oak Park, Illinois

For those seeking an introduction to the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, few places boast a richer collection of his designs than Oak Park, an elegant suburb located about nine miles due west of downtown Chicago. Wright lived and worked here from 1889 to 1909, and the area is now home to nearly 30 buildings he designed or remodeled. Start your journey at Wright’s Home and Studio ($20 for a guided interior tour), where he honed the Prairie School style, showcasing his meticulous attention to detail—he famously crafted most of the furniture and textiles in the house. The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust also provides a small-group guided neighborhood tour ($65), which visits 10 residences designed by Wright, or a tour of the strikingly modern Unity Temple ($15 for self-guided, $40 for guided), a Unitarian-Universalist church that remains his only surviving public building from the Prairie period.

Spring Green, Wisconsin

Located about 20 minutes from Wright’s birthplace in Richmond Center, Spring Green hosts one of his most celebrated works, Taliesin, built in 1911. This stunning example of Prairie School architecture is inspired by the flat landscapes of the nearby Driftless Area, named for the Welsh phrase meaning 'shining brow,' owing to its placement atop a ridge. Taliesin Preservation provides various themed tours at different lengths and prices, but devoted FLW enthusiasts should indulge in the four-hour Estate Tour ($98), which features stops at the 1902 Hillside Home School, designed for his aunts; Tan-y-Deri, the residence for his sister Jane; the restored Romeo and Juliet Windmill Tower; and the Midway Barn. In 2019, Taliesin was designated as one of eight Wright-designed structures that received UNESCO World Heritage site status, and in February, the Riverview Terrace Café was included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

In recent decades, prominent starchitects have transformed Minneapolis into a canvas for architectural innovation. For example, Frank Gehry developed his distinctive deconstructivist style at the University of Minnesota’s Weisman Art Museum. This museum, crafted from sweeping sheets of brushed steel, perches on a bluff above the Mississippi River, drawing inspiration from the abstract silhouette of a fish in a waterfall; it foreshadows his later works like the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Meanwhile, French architect Jean Nouvel looked to the forms of nearby grain mills for the Guthrie Theater, which boasts a 178-foot cantilever bridge extending over the highway; if you’re visiting on the fourth Saturday of the month, you can join an architecture-themed tour ($18) at the Guthrie. Additional highlights include the Walker Art Center featuring a sculptural extension by Herzog & de Meuron, César Pelli’s Minneapolis Central Library, and the environmentally-friendly U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, designed to echo the shapes of ice formations from nearby St. Anthony’s Falls and Viking longboats.

Columbus, Ohio

The Buckeye State boasts numerous architectural wonders, such as Zaha Hadid’s Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati and I.M. Pei’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, but its capital city showcases particularly thought-provoking structures. Located on the Ohio State University campus, the Wexner Center for the Arts was among the first deconstructivist buildings, inaugurated in 1989 and designed by Peter Eisenman, who later created the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. In contrast, a more recent landmark is the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, hailed as one of the most strikingly modern memorials in the U.S., which opened its doors in 2018. Designed by Allied Works Architecture, this minimalist building features interlacing rings of concrete adorned with colorful vertical windows reminiscent of military ribbons.

This piece is part of our Meet Me in the Middle series, which highlights the unique towns, cities, and outdoor areas that await travelers between America’s frequently visited coasts. Discover more about Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wisconsin.