AT THE ALLEN / FALL 2025 / 19 ANDREW PIELAGE HIGHLIGHT / FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HOUSE PRESERVING HOUSE & HISTORY FromEllen Johnson’s stewardship to modern-day renovations, this Usonian landmark designed by Frank LloydWright continues to inspire through its architecture, history, and public engagement. In 1947, Charles and Margaret Weltzheimer commissioned architect Frank LloydWright to design their new family home in Oberlin. The house remained in Margaret’s possession until 1963. The next several owners made significant changes to the house’s interior. Art historian and Oberlin College Professor Ellen H. Johnson purchased the house in 1968. She lived there for the rest of her life and was dedicated to restoring as much as she could toWright’s original design. Johnson arranged for the home to be donated to Oberlin College upon her death, with the intention of using it as an educational public space for tours and teaching. The Allen Memorial Art Museum now oversees the house with other college departments, managing everything frompublic events, including its often sold-out monthly tours, to coordinating landscaping and as-needed repairs. As the first Usonian (Wright’s term for his utopian vision of affordable American architecture) home built in Ohio, theWeltzheimer/Johnson House is a cultural landmark and a pillar of artistic and architectural innovation. Fred Unwin has been a volunteer at the house for more than two decades and is deeply committed to researching its history and sharing his findings with the general public. A Case Western Reserve University alumnus, Unwin has a background is in theater and interior design. He says giving tours at theWeltzheimer/Johnson House keeps his performing skills sharp. Some of his favorite factoids include the many famous visitors Ellen Johnson had throughout her years at the house, such as composer John Cage, painter Robert Rauschenberg, and performance artist Scott Burton. When compared to other homes in the surrounding area, Wright’s design is striking. It is tucked away at the end of a long driveway. The house sits at a 45-degree angle, rather than parallel to the street. The exterior is almost entirely transparent, due to floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which allow the home to heat itself through passive solar energy. “Wright was born in 1867 and came from an agrarian society that was just starting to confront industrialization. When he was young, houses were just like little boxes. He believed that we need to live in concert with nature, and this would give people better lives. This idea attracted the Weltzheimers toWright—they were fascinated by him,” Unwin explained. Jill Greenwood, Eric & Jane Nord Family Curator of Education, is project manager and events coordinator for the house. She has advocated for a new roof, wood restoration, and a boiler for wintertime heating, all part of the summer 2025 temporary closure. “There are changes that are absolutely necessary, like the roof—we must protect the home fromwater infiltration. Similarly, the door and windowwood restoration project is necessary to secure the structure,” Greenwood said. Some aspects of Wright’s original designs were not materialized during his lifetime, but are being honored now. The orchard in the front yard—also at a 45-degree angle—is a recent example made possible by the Ring Foundation. According to Greenwood, the history of fully realizing this plan goes back decades. “More than 20 years ago, two students conducted a feasibility study to plant andmaintain the orchard Wright designed. It includes 33 fruit-bearing trees planted at an angle to the driveway and parallel to the orientation of the house. It was not planted during the students’ tenure at Oberlin College, but one of their fathers donatedmoney through their foundation to make the orchard a reality,” she said. The Allen and Oberlin College have taken many other steps to return the house to its intended state, or make changes aligned with the previous owners’ values. Unwin facilitated a reupholstery project for some of Ellen Johnson’s furniture, and a long-lost perforated board from the home’s exterior has recently found its way back to Oberlin through a generous donation fromCathy Meints. “This wooden board from the house went up for auction. Meints bought it and gifted it back to us, which is fantastic,” Greenwood said. “It’s fun to see all these pieces of the house come back together. We honor themby putting the belongings where they would have been originally located.” Under the care of the Allen and Oberlin College, theWeltzheimer/Johnson House’s legacy will continue to live on through restoration and education.
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