No demolition work was done at the original mansion, which was designed by Lon Krider and Charles Cregar in 1881. The additions, which included two buildings and smaller wings, are not original to the structure, Rose added.
The Turner Foundation purchased the building in 2007 as it was being threatened with demolition, Rose said. The goal was to save the castle and not necessarily the nursing home portions, he added.
The Foundation marketed the entire property, but the majority of inquiries came solely about the mansion, Rose said.
“The other properties were more a liability,” he said. “Our commitment has always been to save the original Mast Mansion. I’m really excited about this because it takes back this property back to what it was or pretty close to what it was.”
There are a lot of ideas on the table for the Foundation, but none involved the sections built for the nursing home, which closed in 2005.
In 2011, the Foundation received a $167,000 state grant to remove asbestos in the main structure and the nursing wings.
The mansion is arguably the most important work of the aesthetic movement in Ohio, Rose said. It was recently recognized by a group of Ohio historians as one of the 100 most representative works of architecture in the state.
The earliest known sketch of the house was designed by Cregar, Rose said, who was Krider’s junior architect. Cregar also designed several other Springfield landmarks, including St. Raphael’s Church, the Arcade Building and the City Building, now known as the Heritage Center, among others.
“I’m putting all my money on the (Mast Mansion) being designed by Cregar, and not by his boss,” he said.
It’s an example of what Springfield is capable of, Rose added.
“This is a Springfield product,” Rose said. “This is not some vision of some East Coast architect. This entire idea originates in Springfield, and I think there’s something really spectacular about that.”
Rose will be guiding a tour of the mansion as part of the Summer Tour Series at 6 p.m. Aug. 19. Cost is $10, or $7 for Westcott Center for Architecture + Design members. Tickets are available online and at the Westcott House Museum Store, 85 S. Greenmount St.
About the Author
