Springfield, Ohio, boasts more than its fair share of gorgeous homes. If you’re paying attention, a simple stroll down High Street can become an engrossing architectural tour, hearkening back to an age where buildings were made to last, and designed to impress. Of all the city’s stunning abodes, the Westcott House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, shines the brightest.
We recently took a tour of the Westcott House, where we learned about its troubled history and gawked at its meticulous interior design. We’ve been wanting to visit for years, but had never actually made the effort, despite the house’s central location and relative fame in Springfield.
A native of Richmond, Indiana, Burton Westcott inherited the family business which produced farm implements. After a merger with several similar regional businesses, young Westcott was made treasurer of the American Seeding Machine Company, based in Springfield. He moved here with his family, and commissioned the country’s most renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, to design his new home.
The Westcott House is a prime example of Prairie Style architecture, popularized by Wright in the early 20th century. Prairie Style is characterized by its prominent lines, the use of organic materials, strong foundations, and a seamless union with its surrounding landscape. With a design more horizontal than vertical, it’s meant to evoke the wide American prairies. The style can still be found frequently throughout the midwest.
If you’ve walked along High Street to admire Springfield’s historic houses, you’ll also have noticed that — although they are stately — the majority are in severe decline. Many have been split into multiple apartments, and very few have been well-preserved. Sadly, this was also the case for the Westcott House, world-famous architect or not. Over the years, the house passed into a succession of hands. The furniture was tossed, walls were both torn down and put up, and the property was carved into multiple rental units.
That was until about 20 years ago, when it was sold to the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, who began a costly and intense restoration. The team used the few photographs and drawings which survived, to approximate the furnishings and decoration of the house, building tables from scratch and restoring the interior to its original layout. They also attempted to locate and purchase some of the furniture which had been sold off years ago.
Viewed from the exterior, the Westcott House isn’t exactly the most flashy or striking of buildings. But once you get inside, it’s immediately apparent what makes this residence such an architectural marvel. Every detail, every line, every angle, window, door, wall, and room was carefully considered. We got the impression that Wright even thought about how the rays of sunlight would look throughout the day.
Although I’d be happy to sign a contract and move in immediately, the Westcott House is now exclusively a museum, open to the public for tours. Springfield is turning out to be full of surprises, and the Westcott House is yet another gem. Don’t pass up the opportunity to see a house designed by the USA’s greatest architectural mind.
From our Travel Blog.