Nathan Schrader '10 - As the internship is coming down to the final two weeks, I realized that in order to make my presentation complete, I needed a few more pictures and a little bit more information.

On my way to Madison, Indiana, I stopped by Columbus to take a few pictures of the Veteran's Memorial - very neat. It really showed the pride that Columbus takes in its people and country. I stopped in the Cummins headquarters downtown to get a good shot of a deconstructed engine artwork. I then made the rest of the trek to Madison.

The main goal of Madison was to visit Francis Costigan's house. It was amazing. He surely was a genius, way ahead of his time. The houses back then were taxed according to its width across the front, not the square footage. So, Costigan did what he could with this "shotgun house." (supposedly you could shoot a shotgun through the front door and not hit anything).

Costigan had a sliding front door to conserve space and curved walls to create closet space by leaving the door where it could be and bringing the wall out to create space behind it. Costigan also had a curved door like a few other houses, but it was 10.5 feet tall! Typical houses had double parlors with a wall in between them, but Costigan did not have room. However, he put in two fireplaces and mirrored the room with a central chandelier.

I next went down to the Ohio River to take a picture of the economically important body of water. It surely was more peaceful than it once was. One thing that stands out about Madison and southern Indiana is the gorgeous river valley. You are submerged within the trees and river. It's like this town is the only one around and no one can disturb you. It is truly a great getaway from a hectic world.

Taking such a trip and considering architecture as a possible career, I have learned some very unique things to do when creating buildings. The curved walls, doors, using water to reflect light into buildings, and so much more I can use in the future, even if it just means incorporating it into my own house when that time comes. But for now, I'll stick to looking at others'.