Rush Creek Village

One of Columbus's best kept secrets. I love homes that don't destroy the footprints of the land they were built on. I wish they would do a tour a let us see some of the insides of these lovely homes!

This is a very intriguing neighborhood to walk or drive through, in regards to the architecture. The style was strongly influenced by the design of Frank Lloyd Wright (though none were actually designed by the architect himself) - the actual architect was one who had worked on some of Wright's buildings, Theodore Van Fossen. The initial home and the idea were that of the Wakefields, with Martha getting the credit for the idea and her husband Richard for the construction, per the signage in the neighborhood. While a close-up tour would be fascinating, these properties are privately owned and lived in, so being mindful and respectful of that is appropriate. Nonetheless, you can still definitely get the vibe and vision from a nice stroll. The homes were designed to work with each other visually, as well as with the landscaping, which includes ravines. I heard they did have organized tours at times pre-pandemic, and that would certainly be something interesting to do should those start up again.

When you mention the Columbus "suburb" of Worthington, most folks think of Olde Worthington and it's charming restored High Street and historic homes. They might also think of suburban cul-de-sacs, fabulous schools and well-tended golf courses. The last think that may come to mind is the great architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

And why should he? Well....

Just east off High Street, is tucked a fabulous little neighborhood called Rush Creek Village. Plenty of locals who grew up in the vicinity still have no clue this subdivision of almost 50 houses even exists. Once you drive through Rush Creek you'll instantly recognize the inspiration- Frank Lloyd Wright.

The "community within a community" was developed by Martha Wakefield at the behest of the master himself. In 1946, Wright approached Wakefield at Taliesin West (his home/ studio near Phoenix) saying: "Go home, buy a Jeep and build a house for yourself. Then build a house for your next-door neighbor."

That's pretty much how this neighborhood came to be. None of the homes were specifically designed by Wright himself, but rather a protege named Theodore Van Fossen, a builder and furniture maker on various Wright projects. Martha's husband, Richard, did all the building. They maintained Wright's principals of building homes in harmony with nature.

Therefore, you will not find many garages or obnoxious, huge additions - In fact, one can barely see many of the homes which are built into the ravine or hidden by the hillsides. This pricipal, along with flat roofs, wide eaves, horizontal terraces, carports and built-in furniture make these homes distinctly "Wrightian".

Now, 50 years later, Rush Creek homes are very desirable, somewhat hard to come by, but still very affordable as far as "unique living' goes in Columbus. Rush Creek is considered, according to the National Park Service, the largest "organically" designed subdivision in the US. You have no idea how cool this Worthington neighborhood is unless you have an appreciation for Frank Lloyd Wright-style architecture - and if you can find it!


The Rush Creek neighborhood was written up in a few big papers a couple of years ago, including the New York Times and San Diego Union Tribune) and

If you're an architecture nerd, this place is fantastic. Shawnie K's review has more info about it.

First things first--when I used Yelp to get directions from Google maps, it didn't *quite* take us where we needed to go. After some quick Google-fu, we ended up parking near the corner of Evening St and South St (there is parking on Evening--many streets through the area don't have parking).

Also, if you have trouble walking up and down hills, it might be better to take a car tour. It's not terrible, but I couldn't have done it a few years ago.

The houses are lovely, though it's definitely not the same kind of experience you'd get if you went to an official Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house that was meant to be on display--people actually live there, so a basic level of respect for privacy really should be maintained. You can't go up to some of the houses and gawk . . . a damn shame, since the clearly-best house is down a private drive and you can barely see it. Still, there's quite enough architecture goodness to look at.

Many of the houses are on South St, or just off of South. There's a sports field along the way where you could probably have a picnic or something while it's not being used. The neighborhood is quiet and friendly. Great for a sunny afternoon where you want to do something low-key.