The house after the four-year $5.8 million restoration (Doug Bisher)

The only Prairie-style house Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built in Ohio opened its doors to the public for the first time on Oct. 15 after undergoing a $5.8 million restoration.

Built as a family home for industrialist Burton Westcott in 1908, the Westcott House in Springfield, Ohio, was known for its distinctive Japanese flair. But the house suffered significant structural damage after being turned into one-bedroom apartments after World War II. Five years ago, the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy purchased the house and sold it to the local Westcott House Foundation, which oversaw the restoration with a $3.5 million grant from the Harry M. Turner Foundation, along with federal grants and historic tax credits.

"For years, residents of the local community have wondered why something wasn't done," says Robert Kearns, president of Westcott House Foundation. The owner of the house wanted to restore it but lacked resources for the necessary repairs. "This project demonstrated that these very complex restorations could be accomplished through new creative ways."

During the four-year project, workers removed dividing walls and stabilized the house, returning it to its original design, right down to the Japanese-inspired waxy finish on the walls. The garage and stable were also restored, and the gardens were landscaped according to Wright's plans. Since Wright often included furniture in his designs, the foundation used photographs to construct replica furniture for the rooms downstairs.

Marta Wojcik, curator of interpretation for the house, says that the response from the community during the opening has been "a little bit overwhelming." Happy to see the Westcott House in its original form, many former residents of the house have shared personal stories during tours. "That's what I was hoping for, that people would come in and say something about the house." Wojcik hopes to find people with memories of the house before it became apartments or of the Westcott family.

The house sits on what was once known as Springfield's "millionaire's row," surrounded by Victorian mansions. Today it still stands out from its neighbors and marks a point of arrival for the Westcotts and for Springfield, according to Kearns. "People are proud of their heritage and history because Springfield was a mover and shaker, and this house reminds them of that."

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