Architectural Treasures in Springfield

On a recent trip to Ohio, Susie Runyan Bauer visited two historical houses in Springfield - The Westcott House and Pennsylvania House. Links to the websites for these two attractions have been added to the Links to Other Websites list at the right side of the page. Susie highly recommends visits to these houses. She adds that "Mrs. Harenberg lived in an apartment at The Westcott House when she came to NE to teach. She was probably still Miss Varner at the time." Following is a brief description of both houses.

The Westcott House

The Westcott House Foundation was established in September 2000 to manage the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's only Prairie Style home in Ohio and to develop The Westcott House as a museum and educational center. The house, fully restored and hailed by many as a forgotten architectural treasure, opened to the public on October 15, 2005. The Westcott House is one of about 260 Wright houses remaining in the world with eleven located in Ohio. One of the Foundation's primary goals is to establish The Westcott House as a "must-see" destination for the benefit of community and state, architectural enthusiasts, and the general public.

With the restoration process now complete and the house open for tours, The Westcott House Foundation board and staff are focusing on the development of a vision and plan for the future that builds upon Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy and Springfield's rich heritage of industrial innovation. Partnering with leading experts in design and education, the Foundation envisions a Center of Excellence for Design and Innovation that will help reposition Southwestern Ohio as a source of creative talent and innovation.

Pennsylvania House

David Snively built the Federal-style Pennsylvania House in 1839 along the newly constructed National Road. This tavern and inn was an important stopover for livestock drovers and pioneers traveling by foot, on horseback, or in Conestoga wagons during the westward expansion of the United States in the nineteenth century. Dr. Isaac K. Funk, of Funk & Wagnalls fame, lived in the house in the 1840s while his father served as its tavern keeper. Closed as an inn after the Civil War, it then served as a doctor's clinic, boarding house, and secondhand shop before falling into total disrepair. The Lagonda Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution saved it from demolition and has owned and operated it as a museum since 1941. The Pennsylvania House was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.