Rush Creek Village Round House - Worthington Ohio

Rush Creek Village is a historic neighborhood in

Worthington, Ohio Worthington is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus. The population in the 2020 Census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by James Kilbourne, who was later elected to ...

, just north of Columbus. It was founded in 1954 by Martha and Richard Wakefield, who—along with architect Theodore Van Fossen—designed and built a community of 48 houses (later expanded to 51) based on

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

's principles of

Usonian Usonia () is a word that was used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to the United States in general (in preference to ''America''), and more specifically to his vision for the landscape of the country, including the planning of ...

architecture. Rush Creek Village was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on August 14, 2003.

History

In 1946, Martha and Richard Wakefield of

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, who had recently discovered the architecture of

, were inspired to visit the architect at his Arizona studio,

Taliesin West Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and studio in the desert from 1937 until his death in 1959 at the age of 91. Today it is the headquarters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Open to the public for tours, Taliesin ...

. As they were leaving, Mr. Wright advised Mrs. Wakefield to " home, buy a Jeep and build a house for yourself. Then build a house for your next-door neighbor." She took his advice to heart, and in 1954 her husband, a builder, began working with Theodore Van Fossen, an architect and former student of Wright's,
"Architect designed Rush Creek Village." Columbus Dispatch, December 20, 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2015. to create what would become the nation's largest collection of homes based on Wright's principle of

organic architecture Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world. This is achieved through design approaches that aim to be sympathetic and well-integrated with a site, so buildings, furni ...

.
"House that inspired Rush Creek Village selling for first time." Columbus Dispatch, January 19, 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2015. In developing the neighborhood Wakefield had difficulties first finding the land, and securing bank loans due to the non-traditional designs. Rush Creek Village was added to the

on August 14, 2003. Beth Savage, an architectural historian with the Park Service, called Rush Creek "a wonderful and intact example of a local interpretation of Wright's organic architecture philosophy."
"LOST AND FOUND: Obscurity Becomes It." The New York Times, June 24, 2004. Retrieved 14 May 2015. Van Fossen designed each home to meet the needs of its owners and integrates with the surrounding environment. Homes often featured unusual angles, open floor plans,, extensive windows, and organic materials.

References

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External links

Examples of archived design materials
Modernist architecture in Ohio Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Ohio Worthington, Ohio Historic districts in Franklin County, Ohio