Among the cache of architectural treasures in the small-town design mecca of Columbus, Indiana, one has been accessible only to a privileged few: The Miller House, an elegantly understated one-story pavilion by Eero Saarinen with a powerfully geometric landscape by Dan Kiley. But this exemplar of mid-century Modernism is likely to open for public tours now that the Indianapolis Museum of Art has announced it will acquire the 6,838-square-foot house, a National Historic Landmark.

Completed in 1957 and situated along a busy street, the Miller House was built for industrialist J. Irwin Miller, the head of Cummins Engine Co. and his wife Xenia. Miller was the visionary patron who brought designers such as Harry Weese and The Architects Collaborative to Columbus, 40 miles south of Indianapolis, to shape schools, banks, and other buildings that would improve the town's quality of life and help attract talented employees.