Columbus
The Inn at Irwin Gardens
Merchant Joseph Irwin's 1864 house, remodeled in 1910 by Henry A. Phillips, with Pompeii-inspired gardens and rooms named for Irwin family members.
- Built
- 1864Built 1864 for Joseph Irwin; enlarged 1890 and remodeled 1910 by Massachusetts architect Henry A. Phillips, which erased most 1864 details; gardens 1910–13.
- Style
- Edwardian (1910 remodel)
- Architect
- Henry A. Phillips (1910 remodel)
- Type
- B&B
- Price
- $$
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district
The story
Joseph Irwin, a Columbus merchant who founded the Irwin bank in 1871, moved his family into the house at Fifth and Mechanic (now Lafayette) streets in 1864. He enlarged it in 1890, and in 1910 Massachusetts architect Henry A. Phillips remodeled it in an Edwardian manner, with Pompeii-inspired Italianate gardens laid out from 1910 to 1913. The interiors have changed little since 1910, down to the hydraulic elevator and intercom. It now operates as a B&B and event venue with rooms named for Irwin family members, and appeared in the 2017 film Columbus.
Good to know
- Breakfast: available
- Address: 608 Fifth Street, Columbus, IN 47201
Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.