The Weltzheimer/Johnson House is a Usonian style house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Oberlin, Ohio. Now owned by Oberlin College, it is operated as part of the Allen Memorial Art Museum. The house was originally named the Charles Weltzheimer Residence.StyleThe first of nine Usonian homes to be built in Ohio, the house bears the typical features of the Usonian style: brick construction, an "L" shaped plan, a flat roof with large overhangs and a carport. The Weltzheimer house is, however, unusual in a number of respects. It is the only Usonian built outside of California that used redwood in its construction. The unusually elaborate curvilinear motifs in the panels in the clerestory are unique to this house. Wright himself also 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 post-World War II 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, a grid-patterned concrete slab floor with radiant heat, a flat roof and cantilevered carport, masonry fireplace mass, board and batten walls with simple built-in furniture, and tall glass walls and doors opening to the landscape.
"Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Weltzheimer/Johnson House is the first Usonian house in Ohio, and one of the few in the nation open to the public. Situated just outside downtown Oberlin, the house is open for tours on the first Sunday of the month from April to November. Advance registration is required. Admission to the house is $10 per adult and free for anyone under 18.Upcoming open houses are on July 2, Aug 6, Sep 3, Oct 1, and Nov 5. Purchase tickets on our website."
