Westcott House 
1340 East High Street 
Springfield
Ohio 45503

Frank Lloyd Wright 1904-1908

As the only example of his prairie style in Ohio, Frank Lloyd Wright considered the Westcott house to be of great importance. He included the home in his "Executed Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright" (published by Ernst Wasmuth, 1910, 1911); however the house is seldom photographed or written about. This may very well be due to the severe interior alterations that the house underwent during the 1940s, in which the large home's interior was converted to house multiple apartments. Remnants of these alterations can still be seen through a side entrance, which still has multiple doorbells. Like so many other of Wright's designs, the Westcott House was originally disliked by neighbors and often mistaken for an institutional building of some kind.

Some of the more interesting aspects of the Westcott house are the oversized planters (almost 6 feet in full) in front of the house as well as the substantial cantilevers and detached carriage house in the back of the house. The Westcott House was designed around the time of Wright's 1907 visit to Japan, and in a way seems to reflect that trip, though most of the pergola is no longer existent. Also gone are much of its gardens and pools.

"Many aspects of the house resemble those of a Japanese Shinto temple. These included small divided-light windows reminiscent of a shoji screen, clay tiles on a low-hipped roof, and open sleeping porches on the second floor. Drawings of a proposed lighting fixture for the pergola had text describing a Japanese lantern in which light is to be suspended when used"

Matt Cline in Architecture Week

The home was purchased in September of 2000 by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, thoroughly restored. It was re-opened in 2005

How to visit

The Westcott House is open to the public and can bve visited with a 45-minute tour. For details and reservations please visit the house's website at www.westcotthouse.org. 

Springfield Ohio is located roughly between Dayton and Columbus (about 45 minutes away from Columbus).

From Cincinnati, Ohio follow I-71 North, take Exit No. 58, go North on State Route 72 After coming into Springfield, turn Right onto East Main Street Go to the next traffic light (approximately 1 mile), turn Right, Westcott House ahead on the right. Parking is available along the street at the site (follow signs).

From Dayton/Cincinnati, Ohio follow I-75 North or I-675 toward I-70, take I-70 East, take Exit No. 59, go North on State Route 72, travel approximately 2 miles, turn Right onto East Main Street, go to the next traffic light (approximately 1 mile), turn Right, Westcott House ahead on the right. Parking is available along the street at the site (follow signs)

From Columbus, Ohio, from I-70 West take Exit No. 62, turn Right on State Route 40, travel approximately 5 miles, turn Left onto South Greenmount Avenue, Westcott House ahead on the right. Parking is available along the street at the site (follow signs).

From Indianapolis, take I-70 East take Exit No. 59, go North on State Route 72, travel approximately 2 miles, turn Right onto East Main Street Go to the next traffic light (approximately 1 mile), turn Right, Westcott House ahead on the right. Parking is available along the street at the site (follow signs).

From I-70 west, take exit #62 toward Springfield (make a right off the highway), follow US-40 for about five miles, turn left on S. Belmont Avenue, then right on E. High Street. The house will be on your right hand side.

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