SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – When Suzanne Cavazos was a child, her school bus took her right by the large house at High Street and Greenmount Avenue, east of downtown.
Though she knew the house was different, she didn’t know just how different. “I just assumed every town in Ohio had a Frank Lloyd Wright house,” she said.
Cavazos is now a tour guide at the Westcott House, built in 1908, and a superb example of Wright’s signature Prairie-style design.
The house, open for tours year-round, is one reason to make the trip to the small city, 45 miles west of Columbus.
Springfield has been in the national news lately, the subject of considerable scorn from former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance, who have denigrated the city’s growing immigrant Haitian population.
But long before the Haitians arrived, Springfield was worthy of attention for other reasons, including the Westcott House and a fascinating display of visionary art, the Hartman Rock Garden, just south of downtown.
History of Springfield
With a population of about 58,000, Springfield isn’t exactly a small town. Indeed, it used to be considerably larger, with a population that peaked in 1960 at about 83,000.
Its downtown seems too large for its population. But there are signs of renewal, particularly on a two-block stretch of Fountain Avenue, where several shops and restaurants have opened in recent years, including one, Reimagine Gifts & More, that launched this month.
The city is home to Wittenberg University, was a stop on the historic National Road, and is the northern terminus for the 78-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail, the terrific bike and multi-use path that connects Anderson Township outside Cincinnati to Springfield
Springfield used to be a manufacturing hub, particularly for agricultural equipment, which is what brought Burton Westcott, treasurer for American Seeding Machine Co., and his wife Orpha, to town in the early 1900s.
Cavazos said it’s not clear why the Westcotts hired Wright to design their house, although an article by Wright, “A Home in a Prairie Town,” in a 1901 edition of Ladies Home Journal might have provided inspiration. A copy of the magazine sits on a table in the library of the Westcott home.
“I like to think that maybe Mrs. Westcott was thumbing through the magazine and decided, ‘I want this house,’ ” said Cavazos.
The Westcotts lived in the 4,000-square-foot home until 1926, when it passed through several owners. In the mid-1940s, it was divided into apartments and eventually fell into a state of significant disrepair.
Then, in the early 2000s, the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy stepped in and, along with the Westcott House Foundation, helped lead a $5.8 million conservation effort. The house opened for tours in 2005.
Tours start in the original garage, now a gift shop, which was one of the first garages in Springfield.
From the garage, tours travel throughout the house – into the library, living room, dining room, children’s playroom and kitchen on the first floor, plus six bedrooms on the second.
Signature Prairie-style features are prevalent throughout, including wraparound windows showcasing garden views, horizontal lines, geometric patterns, low furniture and cantilevered rooflines.
Even the outside space reflects Wright’s desires. “He felt the garden design was as important as the house,” said Cavazos. “He even decided where the trees went.”
The house was built between two of Wright’s most famous residential works – the Darwin Martin House in Buffalo, finished in 1905, and the Frederick Robie House in Chicago, completed in 1910.
The three houses together, said Cavazos, offer a terrific primer of Wright’s Prairie style.
Tour information: Access to the house is by guided tour only; admission is $20. Information: westcotthouse.org
Hartman Rock Garden
For a completely different artistic experience, head about 4 miles southwest from the Westcott House to the Hartman Rock Garden, created in the 1930s and 1940s by self-taught artist Ben Hartman.
After being laid off in 1932 from his job as a molder at Springfield Machine Tool Co., Hartman started creating a cement fishing pond in his back yard. He was hooked.
Hartman, who died in 1944, spent the last 12 years of his life constructing hundreds of structures and figurines in the yard, using concrete, stone, metal, glass, wood and other materials he could find.
On the grounds here: a 12-foot-tall castle, complete with moat and drawbridge, Noah’s Ark, Abraham Lincoln’s cabin and Fort Dearborn. Themes of education, religion and American history are seen throughout.
The garden is considered a superb example of visionary art, which the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore describes as “art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself.”
After Hartman’s death, his wife, Mary, maintained the garden and gave tours. In 2008, the Wisconsin-based Kohler Foundation, with a history of preserving significant visionary art experiences across the country, purchased and restored the property. Today, the local nonprofit Friends of the Hartman Rock Garden owns and maintains the site. Don’t miss it.
The garden is open daily, dawn until dusk. It’s free. Information: hartmanrocks.org
Also in Springfield
More art: For art in a more traditional venue, check out the Springfield Museum of Art, with 6,700 square feet of exhibit space located between downtown and the Wittenberg campus. Current special exhibits include “The Places We Return To,” featuring works by Columbus painters Eric Barth, Rod Bouc and Elsie Sanchez; “Tigris,” former bookbinder Amanda Love’s response to book banning via an installation of deconstructed books; and Celebrating Women: Female Artists from the Permanent Collection.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday; admission is $5. Information: springfieldart.net
More history: For a deeper dive into Springfield history, check out the Heritage Center of Clark County, spread throughout downtown’s massive City Building and Marketplace, the magnificent Richardsonian Romanesque structure built in 1890. The museum includes exhibits on the Native American communities who lived here prior to European settlement, the National Road and the city’s manufacturing history. Information: heritagecenter.us
Where to eat: I had a quick, tasty lunch at Charlo’s Provisions and Eatery on Fountain Avenue in downtown.
On the same block: Stella Bleu Bistro, Winans Coffee and Chocolate and Viva La Fiesta. Mother Stewart’s Brewing is around the corner.
Nearby shops include Reimagine Gifts, Firefly Boutique and Champion City Guide & Supply, where T-shirts with the phrase, “Speak a good word for Springfield – or say nothing” are a current top seller.
And on the way out of town, to support the city’s Haitian community, I stopped at Rose Goute Creole Restaurant, 1881 S. Limestone St., where I picked up an immense portion of rice and beans and chicken for $21.
Nearby: Springfield is within about 20 miles of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, is close to Buck Creek State Park and the fun town of Yellow Springs.
More information: visitgreaterspringfield.com
Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series on Ohio’s best small towns. What makes a best Ohio small town? The criteria is subjective, of course, but includes a vibrant downtown, with a variety of places to shop and dine, along with some interesting activities nearby – whether museums, parks or other venues. Do you have a small town to suggest we visit? Send recommendations to [email protected].