Charles Weltzheimer Residence
Encyclopedia
The Weltzeheimer/Johnson House is a Usonian style house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
in Oberlin, Ohio
. It is now owned by Oberlin College
and is operated as part of the Allen Memorial Art Museum
. The house was originally named the Charles Weltzheimer Residence.
n homes to be built in Ohio and it has all of the typical features of the Usonian style: brick construction, an "L" shaped plan, a flat roof with large overhangs and carport. Though the Weltzheimer house is unusual in a number of respects. It is the only Usonian built outside of California that used redwood
in its construction; the curvilinear
motifs in the panels in the clerestory
are unusually elaborate and are unique to this house and Wright himself created a detailed landscape plan for the property.
The Weltzheimer/Johnson House stands as another expression of Wright's answer to the demand for beautiful and affordable middle-class homes in the post WWII America. Pairing innovation with basic owner-builder construction materials and techniques, the concepts of organic architecture
evolved into these Usonian characteristics: a flowing floor plan with distinct public and private wings; concrete, grid patterned, slab floor with radiant heat; flat roof and cantilever
ed carport; masonry fireplace mass; board and batten walls with simple built-in furniture; and tall glass walls and doors opening to the landscape.
The Weltzheimer/Johnson House uses brick masonry and redwood and has several distinctive features, including the hundreds of stained croquet
balls forming the roof dentil ornamentation whose circular motif is echoed in the shadow panel screens of the clerestory and the interior brick columns that separate the living room from the workspace (Wright's name for the kitchen in his Usonian homes).
oversaw construction; Wright himself never visited the site.
The house was angled in the lot, both to maximize exposure to the winter sun and to enhance views of surrounding property. The landscape plan for the property included a small orchard
of 33 fruit trees planted in diagonal rows that matched the orientation of the house; a gravel drive along the eastern edge of the property and "berry bushes" on the western and southern edges. A rectangular garden was planned adjacent to the bedroom wing and perennial
borders extended selected wall out into the landscape. The Weltzheimers loosely followed Wright's plan, including planting the orchard, though they never strictly adhered to it.
The house remained in the Weltzheimer family until the early 1960s. The next two owners made drastic changes to the property. They first removed many of the original plantings, and planted numerous trees close to the house, breaking the visual connection from the interior to the exterior. One owner also installed a brick column to support a sagging roof overhang. A speculator
bought the house in 1966, and subdivided the property into four lots. The house was painted and downspouts were added. Inside, white formica counter tops and mahogany cabinets were installed in the kitchen. Brick and redwood walls in the living room were painted white. Other significant changes were made in every room of the house.
In 1968 the home was purchased by Ellen H. Johnson, a Professor of Modern Art at Oberlin College. She bought the house to prevent further damage and soon embarked on a daunting restoration that continued for the 25 years that she owned the house. Johnson also began to undo some of the changes to the landscape to restore the feeling of serenity and connectedness that Wright intended.
In the 1970s, concerned about the future of the house, Ellen Johnson made arrangements for the house to be transferred to Oberlin College upon her death. To ensure that the home would be properly maintained and that the college would not dispose of it, she also arranged for a maintenance endowment.
Ellen Johnson died in 1992, and the house was transferred to Oberlin College. Today the house is operated by the Allen Memorial Art Museum and holds public open house hours on the first and third Sundays of each month. As of 2009, the Weltzheimer/Johnson House has begun seasonal closings to help better preserve the house, and protect it from extreme wear-and-tear. The house is now closed December through February, reopening for public open house tours in March.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
in Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, to the south and west of Cleveland. Oberlin is perhaps best known for being the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students...
. It is now owned by Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and is operated as part of the Allen Memorial Art Museum
Allen Memorial Art Museum
The Allen Memorial Art Museum is located in Oberlin, Ohio and is run by Oberlin College. Founded in 1917, its collection is one of the finest of any college or university museum in the United States, consistently ranking among those of Harvard and Yale...
. The house was originally named the Charles Weltzheimer Residence.
Style
This was the first of nine UsoniaUsonia
Usonia was a word used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to his vision for the landscape of the United States, including the planning of cities and the architecture of buildings...
n homes to be built in Ohio and it has all of the typical features of the Usonian style: brick construction, an "L" shaped plan, a flat roof with large overhangs and carport. Though the Weltzheimer house is unusual in a number of respects. It is the only Usonian built outside of California that used redwood
Cupressaceae
The Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to 30 genera , which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130-140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or dioecious trees and shrubs from 1-116 m tall...
in its construction; the curvilinear
Curvilinear perspective
Curvilinear perspective is a graphical projection used to draw 3D objects on 2D surfaces. It was formally codified in 1968 by the artists and art historians André Barre and Albert Flocon in the book La Perspective curviligne, which was translated into English in 1987 as Curvilinear Perspective:...
motifs in the panels in the clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
are unusually elaborate and are unique to this house and Wright himself created a detailed landscape plan for the property.
The Weltzheimer/Johnson House stands as another expression of Wright's answer to the demand for beautiful and affordable middle-class homes in the post WWII America. Pairing innovation with basic owner-builder construction materials and techniques, the concepts of organic architecture
Organic architecture
Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world through design approaches so sympathetic and well integrated with its site that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified, interrelated...
evolved into these Usonian characteristics: a flowing floor plan with distinct public and private wings; concrete, grid patterned, slab floor with radiant heat; flat roof and cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
ed carport; masonry fireplace mass; board and batten walls with simple built-in furniture; and tall glass walls and doors opening to the landscape.
The Weltzheimer/Johnson House uses brick masonry and redwood and has several distinctive features, including the hundreds of stained croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
balls forming the roof dentil ornamentation whose circular motif is echoed in the shadow panel screens of the clerestory and the interior brick columns that separate the living room from the workspace (Wright's name for the kitchen in his Usonian homes).
History
The house was commissioned by Charles and Margaret Weltzheimer in 1947, a year after they moved to Oberlin to live near a business Charles was a part-owner of. The original budget for the project was $15,000, but the final cost was two to three times that, possibly as much as $50,000 (precise records were either lost or not kept in the first place). The first plans were delivered in May 1948 and the family moved into the house in April 1949, though much interior work remained to be completed. An apprentice from TaliesinTaliesin (studio)
Taliesin , near Spring Green, Wisconsin, was the summer home of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright began the building in 1911 after leaving his first wife, Catherine Tobin, and his Oak Park, Illinois, home and studio in 1909. The impetus behind Wright's departure was his affair with...
oversaw construction; Wright himself never visited the site.
The house was angled in the lot, both to maximize exposure to the winter sun and to enhance views of surrounding property. The landscape plan for the property included a small orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
of 33 fruit trees planted in diagonal rows that matched the orientation of the house; a gravel drive along the eastern edge of the property and "berry bushes" on the western and southern edges. A rectangular garden was planned adjacent to the bedroom wing and perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
borders extended selected wall out into the landscape. The Weltzheimers loosely followed Wright's plan, including planting the orchard, though they never strictly adhered to it.
The house remained in the Weltzheimer family until the early 1960s. The next two owners made drastic changes to the property. They first removed many of the original plantings, and planted numerous trees close to the house, breaking the visual connection from the interior to the exterior. One owner also installed a brick column to support a sagging roof overhang. A speculator
Speculation
In finance, speculation is a financial action that does not promise safety of the initial investment along with the return on the principal sum...
bought the house in 1966, and subdivided the property into four lots. The house was painted and downspouts were added. Inside, white formica counter tops and mahogany cabinets were installed in the kitchen. Brick and redwood walls in the living room were painted white. Other significant changes were made in every room of the house.
In 1968 the home was purchased by Ellen H. Johnson, a Professor of Modern Art at Oberlin College. She bought the house to prevent further damage and soon embarked on a daunting restoration that continued for the 25 years that she owned the house. Johnson also began to undo some of the changes to the landscape to restore the feeling of serenity and connectedness that Wright intended.
In the 1970s, concerned about the future of the house, Ellen Johnson made arrangements for the house to be transferred to Oberlin College upon her death. To ensure that the home would be properly maintained and that the college would not dispose of it, she also arranged for a maintenance endowment.
Ellen Johnson died in 1992, and the house was transferred to Oberlin College. Today the house is operated by the Allen Memorial Art Museum and holds public open house hours on the first and third Sundays of each month. As of 2009, the Weltzheimer/Johnson House has begun seasonal closings to help better preserve the house, and protect it from extreme wear-and-tear. The house is now closed December through February, reopening for public open house tours in March.