The Lenski Walk - Springfield, Ohio — Jeremy Mudd Photography

Renee and I are huge Frank Lloyd Wright architecture fans. We’ve been on several vacations that centered around visiting FLW sites – including Falling Water, Oak Park, and Taliesin East. Many people aren’t aware that FLW also designed and built several structures in Ohio – we have two of them close to us in the greater Dayton area; the Kenneth L Meyers Clinic Building and the Westcott House.

The Westcott House - Goodman Zone camera on HP5+ film

A long time ago I used to work in Springfield, Ohio where the Westcott House is located. At the time the house was in bad decay and had been chopped up into apartments – one of my employees lived there at the time and I was able to see the inside of it back then – it wasn’t pretty. Thankfully the Trust purchased the house and restored it to its former glory.

Recently we renewed our membership at the Westcott House and received our members care packet. In the packet was a brochure for a self-guided walking tour in downtown Springfield called “The Lenski Walk” named after Springfield native Lois Lenski. Lenski was a prolific writer who wrote, illustrated, or contributed to 98 children’s books. The tour guide book is full of her poetry and illustrations. The walk has been part of Westcott’s Summer Tour Series in the past but given the current pandemic it lives on as a self-guided tour.

So with brochure in hand, we set off for Springfield last weekend for a cold and blustery Saturday architectural walk. Renee armed with her phone and sketchbook to get ideas for an illustration about the walk, and I with my trusty 1968 Nikon F with a Sol 45 lens and a roll of black and white film. I chose to use the Sol 45 lens because I love the out-of-focus areas and how it renders them, and gives the images often a look of seeing through a mist or blurry dream. No unlike what one experiences now in this time of COVID-19 and trying to just get a sense of normalcy and clarity in their life.

First stop was the City Building and Esplanade area. These were both completed in the 1890’s and make for a great first stop on the tour to show Springfield’s past.

“I love the life of the city,
Where there’s never a dull minute;
There’s always something happening,
And when it does, you’re in it.”

The next stop was a piece of art named “Oracle’s Vision” by artist Ronald Bladen. It serves as a connector/gateway between the older buildings near the City Building and the newer buildings across the street.

“Urban renewal,
A city made new;
How soon will all of this
Be outdated too?”

After that we headed toward the Bushnell Building. It served as a department store from 1939 to 1987. It was the first building in Springfield to have escalators.

“Go in the door of department store;
See things galore,
Then start to buy and buy some more.”

Next stop: The 4-H Pocket Park. Did you know that the 4-H club was founded in Springfield in the basement of the Clark County Courthouse in 1902? Next to the courthouse is a small, wonderful sculpture park with four large “H” structures, some statues, benches, and plaques with sayings related to 4-H. Its very inspirational, and probably my favorite stop on the tour. We visited it during the Winter – I would imagine is a beautiful spot during warmer months when everything is green and in bloom.

“There’s a bench in the park
At the edge of the walk
I sit and watch people
And I hear them talk.”

After the Pocket Park we moved on to the Fairbanks Building. This 1905 9-story building was Springfield’s first “skyscraper” and was constructed for Charles Fairbanks, who was the Vice President of the United States at the time.

“I see a great tall building,
It reaches to the sky;
They call it a skyscraper
And now I can see why.”

The last stop on the walk was an empty lot area near the City Building. This area illustrates how Springfield has lost many buildings over the years. There has been a lot of revival downtown over the last few years so its my hope that areas like this will see revitalization as that continues.

While we were in the empty lot, “I’m-not-a-birder” Renee pointed out a Peregrine Falcon circling overhead. We watched it land near its nest where its mate was waiting. Of course these sightings always happen to me when I don’t have my birding photography gear with me – but now know where it is, and have a reason to visit again in the very near future.

“Stones turn to gravel,
The bricks to red dust;
Over the earth
A hard sharp crust.”

After that the tour wrapped up back at the Library near the City Building. This small tour was a great deal of fun and a good way to spend the day outside and getting some exercise. If you are a photographer like me, you can look at it as a challenge to capture things that everyone else sees everyday in a different way.

Here’s the illustration Renee created that documents our walk and the places we visited. You can clearly see who’s got the talent in this relationship.

Thanks for reading! If you can, please consider supporting the Westcott House. Marta and the team there do a great job of promoting events and giving back to the community, and can certainly use your support. In 2020 they hosted a LOT of online events that were fantastic including several artist/author talks. I’m looking forward to what they have in store for 2021.

Have a great day,

Jeremy

2.28.2021 UPDATE: Renee submitted her map above to “Where We Walk” and they are publishing a book of hand drawn maps including this one! More on how to order the book on Amazon here.

More info on the Westcott House can be found here.

Lois Lenski info can be found here.