Westcott House
Orpha Westcott, considered one of Springfield’s most prominent and progressive women, is credited with suggesting Wright as the architect for the Westcotts’ new home.
The house fully exemplifies the architect’s mature Prairie style with its long rooflines and low, rectilinear profile. An extensive pergola capped with an intricate wooden trellis connected the detached carriage house to the main house, a design element included in only a few other Prairie houses. Though Wright deemed the design successful enough to include in his 1910 Wasmuth Portfolio, the house was altered so significantly following the death of the Westcotts that it became a forgotten architectural treasure. In 2001 a devoted group of local preservationists undertook a painstaking $5.3 million restoration. Today, the Westcott House Foundation is open as a museum and education center.
