![]() ![]() ![]() She picked Philip Johnson for the town’s iconic, non-denominational worship center, the Roofless Church, which was designed to reflect her belief that “all religions hold the heavens in common.” She chose Richard Meier to design the striking white Athenaeum, which is now home to New Harmony’s visitor center. She turned to some of the nation’s leading architects to develop designs for the buildings incorporating sacred and natural geometry. Ms Owen, joined by the State of Indiana and Lilly Endowment, snapped up nearly every historic building in town, many of which had fallen into disrepair. More than a century after its founding, in the 1940s, Jane Blaffler Owen, picked up where her ancestor left off and took the lead on the town’s revitalization efforts. It was home to the country’s first free library, the site of the first geological survey in the United States, and it even boasted a public school system open to both men and women. Although Owen’s experiment ultimately failed, the town racked up some notable claims to fame in its early years. Its placemaking story is guided by people who have taken note of its unique qualities and adapted them to the needs and demands of the current times.įounded in 1814 by Johann Georg Rapp and his Harmonie Society, the town was purchased in 1825 by Robert Owen, who turned it into a utopian community. Tucked away on the southwestern tip of Indiana on the banks of the Wabash River, the tiny town of New Harmony has evolved from an 1800s social experiment into a modern-day spiritual sanctuary and gathering place for scientists, spiritualists, artists, and scholars. Custom retreats for groups and organizations are developed by USI's Corporate Partnerships and Customized Training in partnership with Historic New Harmony.A Quirky Utopian Town Embraces its Past while Forging its Future Temporary office space and overnight accommodations are available to visiting scholars. Funding is available through the New Harmony Outreach and Engagement Fund and the Endowment for New Harmony Studies. These opportunities include the development of research projects and service learning courses, internships, and experiential learning in New Harmony. Opportunities for collaboration among USI faculty, staff, students and New Harmony are facilitated by Historic New Harmony, a department within the division of Outreach and Engagement. This work expands the original intent of the university’s involvement in New Harmony, which was to nurture this living laboratory for ideas - a place where students and teachers, tourists and scholars, leaders and seekers, can come together to experience, explore, and create. Today, Historic New Harmony realizes its mission of preserving New Harmony’s utopian legacy by inspiring innovation and progressive thought through its programs and collections. Within the USI Foundation, the Historic New Harmony Advisory Board supports the mission of Historic New Harmony. In 1985, the University of Southern Indiana assumed management of Historic New Harmony, encouraging cultural and educational programs, while maintaining historic properties. By preserving its utopian legacy, Historic New Harmony inspires innovation and progressive thought through its programs & collections. Historic New Harmony is a program of the University of Southern Indiana. ![]()
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