The Summer Tour Series examines the architecture, design, and history of the built environment in the Greater Springfield Region. The 2022 series includes a variety of walking tours and happy hour tours featuring diverse subjects and fascinating stories. Architects, curators, historians, and local professionals guide each tour. This year’s series starts on June 15th and runs through September 17th.
Please be advised that we do not mail tickets. You will receive an order confirmation by email. You will be automatically added to the attendee list upon the completion of your order.
Wednesday, June 15 at 5:30 pm / Guided by Kevin Rose / Mobility 2
Free. Westcott Members Only.
The design for Wittenberg’s Weaver Chapel sits at the crosscurrents of two competing concepts – modern and traditional – which is merged harmoniously under one roof. Designed and built between 1951 and 1956, the building was the vision of Philadelphia architect T. Norman Mansell, who was mostly unknown nationally prior to this project. Join us as we explore this remarkable chapel, which was recently declared one of the most beautiful college cathedrals in the world. Meet outside Wittenberg's Shouvlin Center at 731 North Fountain Avenue, which is a short walk from the chapel.
Saturday, June 18 at 10:00 am/ Guided by Robin Inboden / Mobility 2
$15 General / $12 Members
By the early 1890s, North Fountain Avenue began to rival its south-end counterpart as the prestigious neighborhood for Springfield's upper middle class. Join us as we examine the architecture and history of this late-Victorian north end neighborhood. This tour features the areas east and northeast of Wittenberg University. Meet outside of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church, 712 North Fountain Avenue, Springfield, OH 45503.
Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 am / Guided by Ski Schanher / Mobility 3
$15 General / $12 Members
Ferncliff Cemetery, covering over 240 acres of rolling hills and pastoral landscape, was platted during the Civil War as Springfield’s new rural cemetery. Its many mausoleums and memorials, including those of leading citizens and industrialists, are replete with religious symbolism and imagery. Join Ferncliff historian Ski Schanher on a tour of this hallowed ground, as he interprets Springfield’s rich history preserved in stone. Meet at the Ferncliff Cemetery Chapel, 501 West McCreight Avenue, Springfield, Ohio.
Friday, July 1 at 5:30 pm / Guided by John Grubb
$22, which includes one drink.
Springfield’s Civic District, a six-block area originally surrounding the city’s central green, has always been a hub of civic activity. It also features amazing architecture from nationally known firms. Join us as we tour some of Springfield’s most impressive designs from the 1920s and 1930s, including Schultze and Weaver’s News and Sun Building, William K. Shilling’s U.S. Post Office, and George Savage’s Covenant Presbyterian Church. Meet outside of Winans at 32 North Fountain Avenue, Springfield, Ohio.
Saturday, July 2 at 10:00 am / Guided by Kevin Rose / Mobility 2
Free for Kids and Parents/Guardians
Join us to explore the hidden treasures of downtown Springfield on this interactive youth tour. From curious monkeys on Warder Library to watchful lions on the Bushnell Building, we will discover the rich environment that surrounds us and gain an appreciation for what architecture tells us about our community. Geared for children ages 7-12. Meet in the Esplanade, across from the Heritage Center, 117 South Fountain Avenue. Adult accompaniment required.
Saturday, July 23 at 10:00 am / Guided by Kevin Rose / Mobility 2
$15 General / $12 Members
Springfield’s houses of worship serve as anchors in the revitalization of our historic neighborhoods. The East High Street Historic District is home to three landmark churches close to downtown: Christ Church, designed by the eminent Detroit architect Gordon W. Lloyd (1874); High Street United Methodist Church, one of Frank Packard’s best examples of the Craftsman Style (1904); and the spectacular St. Raphael Catholic Church, designed by local architect Charles A. Cregar. Join historian Kevin Rose as he delves into the history and architecture of these ecclesiastical landmarks. Meet outside of Christ Church, 409 East High Street, Springfield, Ohio.
Friday, August 5 at 5:30pm / Guided by Greg and Kathryn Rogers / Mobility 2
$40, which includes two drinks at Market Bar
From the Community Walls Project of the 1970s to Project Jericho’s work in the 2010s, public art has played a key role in shaping Springfield’s urban environment and giving live to local revitalization efforts. Join Greg and Kathryn on this Public Art Crawl as we explore several significant works, including David Black’s Flipover, Mariah Kaminsky’s Rose City mural, and Ronald Bladen’s controversial sculpture Oracle’s Vision. This special Includes two drinks at the Market Bar. Meet outside COhatch, 101 South Fountain Avenue.
Saturday, August 20 at 10:00 am/ Guided by Cindy Catanzaro / Mobility 2
$15 General / $12 Members
The James-Bauer Realty Company platted Garden Acres in 1925, four years before the Great Depression crippled the housing market. Then a mile outside the city limits, this neighborhood was a model of suburban planning. While much of its original City Beautiful character has been lost, it remains home to Springfield’s largest collection of Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog houses. Join us as we explore this lost oasis of mail-order homes. Meet at 3600 East National Road, Springfield, Ohio.
Saturday, August 27 at 10:00 am/ Guided by Kevin Rose / Mobility 3
$15 General / $12 Members
Springfield architect John L. Kline held a lifelong affinity for Yellow Springs, which was reciprocated in numerous commissions. Among these, his modernist residential designs of the 1950s and 1960s, reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian architecture, helped shape the village’s avant-garde aesthetic. Join us on this bicycle tour as we examine the exteriors of some of Kline’s best mid-century designs. A stop at the Vernet Ecological Center completes the tour. Meet outside the Yellow Springs Visitor Center, 101 Dayton Street, Yellow Springs, Ohio, on your bicycle.
Friday, September 2 at 5:30pm / Guided by Kevin Rose / Mobility 2
$22, which includes one drink at Market Bar
At the end of the 19th century, local leaders understood that great architecture was part of their civic duty. With downtown as their canvas, architects painted a streetscape that exemplified Springfield’s past achievements and future aspirations, including Warder Library (1890), City Building and Market (1890), and Bushnell Building (1893). Tour through Springfield’s Golden Age of architecture. Meet in the Esplanade across from the Heritage Center, 117 South Fountain Ave, Springfield, Ohio.
Saturday, September 10 at 10:00 am / Guided by Kevin Rose / Mobility 1
$15 General / $12 Members
After the aesthetically austere post-war housing boom of the late 1940s, builders turned to experienced architects to design modern prefabricated housing with character and style. Belmont Meadows, developed in 1954, was the fashionable mid-century neighborhood for Springfield’s trendy middle class. Join us as we take a look back at the domestic architecture and culture of 1950s America. Meet outside the former St. Mark United Methodist Church, 2043 Memorial Drive, Springfield, Ohio.
Saturday, September 17 at 10:00 am/ Guided by Kevin Rose / Mobility 2
$15 General / $12 Members
With the success of the Champion Reaper in the late 19th century, Springfield led the nation in the production of farm machinery. These industrialists’ vast and often newly-acquired wealth manifested in opulent Gilded Age mansions along East High Street. Tour with us through this open museum of architecture and enterprise and discover the rich histories of Governor Bushnell, famed publisher W.W. Norton, and more. Meet at the corner of East High and South Sycamore Streets (815 East High Street, Springfield, Ohio).
If you feel unwell or have symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home. CDC recommends that even fully vaccinated people should still get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. If you develop symptoms after purchasing your tickets, please contact our staff at info@westcotthouse.org for a refund.
Our patrons, as well as staff and volunteers, are welcome to wear a mask. However, masks are optional indoors and outdoors.
We limited attendance for each Summer Tour Series program.
Our tours and programs are developed for a broad audience, including those with disabilities and decreased mobility. Tours move at a leisurely pace with brief periods of standing at tour stops. If entering a building or house, some stairs or inclines may be possible. All tours are assigned mobility levels between 1-3.
Mobility Level 1
Up to 6 blocks walking, mostly flat terrain, paved, stairs not likely. Wheelchair accessible.
Mobility Level 2
May be more than 6 blocks walking, some hills, mostly paved, some stairs possible. Please call or email about wheelchair accessibility.
Mobility Level 3
Considerable walking, various terrains, unpaved areas. All bicycle tours. Please call or email about wheelchair accessibility.
