Theodore van Fossen in Uzès, France

This color photograph shows architect Theodore (Ted) van Fossen leaning outside of a stone shelter in Uzès, France, in December, 1979. Behind him, a snow-covered rural landscape can be seen.

Handwritten on the back of the photograph is:

For Polly & Pep [possibly Drs. Pauline and Harold Pepinsky]
With Love,
-Ted
The sort of shepherd's shelter that has existed since pre-historic times especially in the Mediterranean--circular-domed shape.
Ted van F near Uzès Dec 79

Ted van Fossen was the designer of Worthington's Rush Creek Village neighborhood, a development of 53 properties that is considered nationally significant for its size and architectural consistency.

Born in Columbus, van Fossen attended the New Bauhaus school in Chicago, Illinois, before joining fellow student Tony Smith in designing furniture for Frank Lloyd Wright projects. Although he was never a formal apprentice of Wright's, van Fossen was deeply influenced by Wright's philosophy.

In the early 1950s, van Fossen was approached by Martha and Richard Wakefield to design their home at 210 E. South Street, what would become the first home in the Rush Creek Village neighborhood. The trio formed the Rush Creek Company in December, 1954, and van Fossen would go on to design almost 50 homes there.

The Rush Creek Village neighborhood has been widely featured in publications including the "New York Times" and "Architectural Digest"; in 2003, it was recognized as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places.