In the last year of his life, Frank Lloyd
Wright designed a second house for the Penfields. The plans for this
home arrived the week of Mr. Wright’s funeral in April 1959. The Frank
Lloyd Wright Foundation assigned number 5909 to the project making it,
numerically, Mr. Wright’s last residential commission. More
importantly, it is the only unbuilt Wright design with its original
building site still available. Designed to be built of stone gathered
from the nearby Chagrin River, Mr. Wright suggested the house be
called “Riverrock”. |
 |
Riverrock House, now a non-profit
organization, is committed to the completion and sustainability of
Frank Lloyd Wright’s last residential commission. When built, the
house will enhance public awareness of ecologically sound building
practices. It will serve as a model for innovative building solutions
in the future.
....
- This presentation
drawing was received shortly after Mr. Wright’s death in 1959
|
The two Wright-designed homes will be
sited approximately 350’ apart on 30 wooded acres along the Chagrin
River in northeast Ohio. The rolling terrain crosses woods, meadows
and wetlands. It is home to an impressive variety of wildlife,
including the bald eagle which has made a comeback in the region and
can be seen fishing along the river. In 1995, the property was placed
in the American Tree Farm System; cherry, walnut and locust trees from
the forest were used to restore the first Penfield House and will be
used in the construction of Riverrock House, making both houses truly
“of the land”. |
Phase I –
Restore the first Wright-designed house, Louis Penfield
House, and open it to the public for overnight stays. Use part of the
income earned to provide seed money for Riverrock House. List the
house with the National Register of Historic Places. Develop natural
gas reserves for long-term energy sustainability. Penfield House
opened in 2003 and has been reserved to 85% capacity since then. Our
national and international guests often patronize area businesses who
report increased sales due to Penfield House visitors. Phase I is now
complete.
Phase II – Create a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to build
Riverrock House. Develop a Board of Directors to guide the
fundraising, construction and future vision of this unprecedented
opportunity. Our intention is to open Riverrock to the public for
tours, special events and overnight accommodations. This is the
current phase of development.
... |
Riverrock model built by architects David
Smith, David Jaditch
& Gregory R. Seifert. It is at the Willoughby Library. |
| Phase III –
Develop a national center for sustainable design with the two Wright
houses as a nucleus. Construct an architecturally innovative third
building for the landscaped 30 acre campus. This new structure will be
used to promote environmentally sound building practices through
education and research. It will house administrative offices,
classrooms, reception area and gift shop. This is the vision for the
properties ultimate use.
Since this is Frank Lloyd Wright’s last
residential commission, our goal is to bring Mr. Wright’s visionary
thinking into the 21st century. He coined the phrase “house beautiful”
in the early 20th century to refer to a principle of architectural and
social reform through which the quality of life can be enhanced by
good design. We believe those words to be as true today as they were
then. |
|