Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westcott House

Twenty years before Frank Lloyd Wright designed Falling Water, and shortly after he returned from the far east, he built the Westcott house. A significant house built in the prairie tradition, it also shows distinctive influence from the architecture of the East, while at the same time shunning European influence and design. The story of the restoration of this significant achievement is just as inspiring as the story of the building itself. Rescued in the early 2000’s for half a million, the house spent the next five years being completely restored, literally from the ground up. Total restoration was over 100,000,000 dollars — think «this old house» on steroids.
The good:
The house is incredible, and the docents are very knowledgeable, eloquent and erudite. The tour is over an hour in length, and the house is not ADA friendly, so plan accordingly. Our group was small, five people, and it was like a personalized tour. It is amazing what one creative genius can do with a simple geometric design, the square that repeats over and over and over.
The no so good:
There is hardly no furniture in the place, and what is there is pretty much a reproduction. But this is to be expected after years of abuse and neglect. They are planning on fixing this in the coming years. The tour is 15.00 but that is pretty much a standard going rate for such a tour. It is really cheap when you think about … I mean, we are like talking about an hour long tour of an incredible house, with a personalized guide for the price of a couple of Tall Latte’s and maybe a scone. The one thing I wish, is that the tour talked more about Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture, instead of dwelling so much on the Westcotts. I mean, there is a museum of Springfield and Clark county downtown that tells the Westcott story … and even has one of his cars in their collection.
The Evaluation:
This house is incredible. Finely restored, and archececturally important. The docent did a good job of leading the tour. I wish they would spend more time talking about Frank Lloyd Wright, but that is a personal preference. This is well worth the money and the time.

This prairie style house was beautifully restored in the early 2000s to provide Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts the chance to enjoy. At $ 15 each, the 1 hr tours are pricey but packed with lots of interesting information about the history of the house and its owners. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about both the house and the surrounding community.
The house was in REALLY bad shape when the FLW conservancy bought it up. Accordingly, there is almost no original furniture and lots of the walls are redone. The replicas are all great and the house is still worth checking out, but some of the draw was missing.
Interestingly, the property includes a cool looking solar house that was purchased from a university and installed on site. We were told that tours on the weekends are available, but the guide wasn’t there when we were.
Without a doubt, the Westcott House is worth a stop!

Turn of the century awesomsauce! The man was a ball of progressive, forward thinking, practical creativity!
If I talked about all the parts that impressed me, this review would be forever long. I’m just going to recommend everyone go and see this historical house. I’m elated that this house was restored and saved — another phenomenal glimpse into the past, all culminating into what we have to show for the present times. I suggest you take the walking tour. It was an added bonus to hear about the Westcott family, how they came about, and went their separate ways as they grew up.
This was $ 15 well spent. I can’t wait to go visit his Fallingwater house in PA, next!

Incredible restoration of Wright’s turn of the century beauty. Very knowledgable guide. A great way to see Wright’s work up close.

We visited the Westcott House on Saturday, January 9^th and we loved it! Our tour guide was so wonderful, she knew so much and toured us at the perfect pace with interesting and engaging information through-​out the tour. Not only did she know so much about the house, the history and the Westcott family, she also provided us with history of Springfield which now makes me want to return to the museum and other areas of interest.

My girlfriends and I took a road trip to The Westcott House. It was great. The docent was knowledge and personable.
Thanks.

We had a friend visiting from Michigan, and we headed to the Westcott House and Yellow Springs for a great Saturday! Our tour guide was from Springfield, and she started the tour from her personal perspective, and continued to paint pictures with her words throughout the tour. We have been to other Frank Lloyd Wright homes, and this one is another gem. Springfield, and Ohio are lucky to have this preserved home for all to experience.

This is a beautiful building to tour, I felt lucky to be able to walk through it. We had a great tour guide, Sylvia, who was very knowledgeable and well-​spoken. I’m interested mostly in FLW architecture, his influence and why his residences are so beautiful, filled with sunshine and serene design, but so impossible to maintain that they fall apart. I was less interested in the story of the family who owned it and how they died. I guess people like to hear those stories, however. I should probably purchase the lengthy video of the restoration.

GREAT tour (wish I remember our guide’s name — VERY informative, and really grabbed our large group’s interest, though I wish she didn’t have to be SO STRICT about the no pictures inside the house policy, oh well, it’s not HER policy!!!) So awesome to have this landmark right here in our own «backyard!!» I’ve driven by this place for soooooo long on my way back and forth from work every day– Thank heavens for out of town visitors to help finally motivate a visit! I’m inspired now to see other Frank Lloyd Wright homes, or at least read up on his amazing body of work!
Be sure to call ahead to schedule an appt. for your tour, and if you’ve got AAA or any other discounts, take advantage, as this good stuff doesn’t come cheap!!!

Beautifully restored and the tours are informative and fun. A great place to go in the afternoons.

They really did a wonderful job restoring this fantastic example of America’s greatest architect’s work. It’s even nice to just walk around at night when no one is around and imagine people living out their lives in this work of art. If you live in the area, then you should for sure stop by and check it out, even if you just drive by. The tour is great too and you get to see some great things inside. Ive seen multiple works by Frank Lloyd Wright, but this is probably one of the most well preserved that I’ve seen. It really is quite a gem hidden in a small town. I can’t wait to come back.

What a treasure Springfield has here! They’ve done a wonderful job with the restoration of this Frank Lloyd Wright designed home. The house is in the prairie style popularized by Mr. Wright but you will also notice a pronounced Japanese flavor throughout the house.
As of this writing, tours are $ 15 ($ 12 if you have AAA) and start with an 8 minute video of the history and restoration of the home. A tour guide will take you through the home on a 45 minute tour which also includes the grounds. Our guide was Jan Chapman and she is wonderful. I think she said she’d been doing tours for 7 years now, she knows her stuff and still approaches her tours with a day one enthusiasm. You will tour the sitting area, kitchen, bedrooms, sleeping porch, stables, garden area, and servants quarters.
There is also a small gift shop when you come in. Entrance is at the side of the home and parking is on the street. If you live in, are near Springfield or are just looking for an afternoon of history and a road trip, here’s your spot.
TIP: Bring your AAA card with you for the discount.
TIP: Consider giving your tour guide a small gratuity — a buck or two will do.

great piece of history. the 1-​hour tours are $ 10.50 each. you’ll walk through the entire house (except basement), with helpful insight from a staff member/​volunteer along the way. beautiful woodwork. great design.
no photography allowed inside.
recommended.

I have to admit outright that I was both an intern here and volunteer as a docent. Perhaps you could consider this a sort of insiders review. I have unendingly good things to say about the Westcott house, its staff and volunteers. These are some of the nicest and hardest working people I know. The house itself is gorgeous and beyond that, fascinating. I know a lot of people are interested in Frank Lloyd Wright as a person, and he personally included the Westcott house in a portfolio he compiled of his most significant works. The house features many Japanese influences… my favorite being the lighting on the first floor which looks like little glowing japanese houses.
This house is particularly beautiful at night, and while there are no tours at that time many of the cultural and fundraising events do occur in the evening. I have always had an absolute blast at these events… like the Frank Lloyd Wright birthday party they have every summer that features a big band and a live auction.
If you are a fan of architecture, history and/​or Frank Lloyd Wright you don’t want to miss this wonderful restoration. We’re so lucky this house didn’t fall beyond repair.

If you love architecture, this is your place to go. It’s a must see for Ohioians and architecture lovers. Sometime in the 1930’s/1940’s the home was divided up and made into apartment units, so a lot of the original design was lost… The Frank Lloyd Wright home was a multi renovated project a few years ago and looks very similar to what it would have looked like in the early 1900’s.I believe that the house can be rented out for large party events and there are daily tours of the home. I recommend going before the Christmas season as they hike up the admission prices. I try to go back to the Westcott home twice a year to see the FLW home.

The Westcott house is very interesting if only for its history from when it was built till now. The house itself is amazing. The fact that they literally rescued this house says a lot about the Foundation and the city. In your Frank Lloyd Wright adventures this should be one of the top 10 stops. The video is very key to understanding the history of this house. PBS sometimes runs a special for like 2 hours about this particular house and its renovations too. Go check it out and be in awe of the way people were able to build nearly 100 years ago.

Tours consist of an eight minute video and forty-​five minute tour.
Tour times =
Wednesday — Friday 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
Saturday: 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.
Closed Easter, 4^th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
$ 8.50 adults
$ 7.00 seniors 65+
$ 6.00 students and groups (minimum eight)
$ 4.00 school groups
I personally recommend a day trip consisting of the Westcott House, Glen Helen Nature Preserve (be sure to visit the yellow spring and the Raptor Center), and finally Clifton Gorge.

I am so impressed. I am impressed not only by the design of FLW (still modern even though it was designed in 1908), but by the restoration. This landmark was chopped into ugly apartments in the 80s and renovated from deterioration in the early 2000s. The community group did a wonderful job. Please GO if you are in the area!