Frank Lloyd Wright is a household name in his native state of Wisconsin. Across his namesake Frank Lloyd Wright Trail
Madison and his hometown of Richland Center hold landmark buildings that display his “organic architecture” style
which withstands a contemporary vibe despite being decades old
the latest in his lifetime was a home commissioned in 1959
the home’s blueprint has been brought to life in Willoughby Hills — a signature Usonian abode representing stylish architecture in a small
Wright designed a dozen homes across Ohio’s northern and southern regions
whose landscapes emulate his love for quintessential Midwest nature
The new three-bedroom, two-bathroom home called RiverRock joins The Louis Penfield House on River Road in Willoughby Hills
commissioned the architect to design him a home near the Chagrin River
Penfield’s home is unique for its tall structures
to accommodate the former Mayfield High School art teacher’s nearly 7-foot stature
RELATED: Take A Tour Through Willoughby Hills' Frank Lloyd Wright House
A glass-walled living room brings the outdoors in
punctuated by stone and wood walls to create a cozy cabin vibe in a secluded area
Nature-inspired trinkets and patterns on pillows maintain the ambiance
Unique geometric features in dining chairs and wooden shelving and built ins bring old-day modernism into the new age.
we gave a mandate to the professional team involved: if you must change something due to current building regulations and code
so the house will look exactly the same,” Sarah Dykstra
owner and co-general contractor of RiverRock
“The design and the artistic aspect of this home should remain the same as intended in 1959.”
This includes homages to Wright’s history and Willoughby Hills’ natural history
as much of the stone utilized for the build was sourced locally
This aligns with his mission of “placing the home … in harmony with its natural setting
and using local materials to blend into the landscape,” as noted in the news release
“[Wright] created living works of art and dotted them into nature,” said Debbie Dykstra in a news release
“We feel Wright’s legacy has been both honored and broadened by the construction team
is to allow guests to decide for themselves
We hope they see and feel what we do from RiverRock.”
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Fluctuating temperatures are causing ice jams to form and melt again
creating flooding issues for residents who live near rivers
yards on Millann Drive are flooded from thawing ice jams along the Chagrin River
“They gave us the option if we were going to stay
then we came back and then we were going to leave again last night… then we stayed," Nick Pfahl said about his family's experience in the neighborhood over the past few days
Milann Drive is a horseshoe-shaped road that the river wraps around on three sides
Photos of the area show water stagnating in front and back yards and covering parts of the road
“The water will come all the way up the yard when we get a really heavy rain
When it carves new paths it’s an issue," Pfahl said
"I feel bad for my neighbors because right now we’re still safe.”
This is the same area that flooded earlier this week when temps climbed into the 40s
RELATED: Residents concerned of flooding due to ice jams on the Chagrin River
Then [my daughter] texted me last night and said it was flooding again
So that’s why I stopped out today,” said Dan Gauntner
who was chipping away and shoveling large ice slabs out of his daughter's garage on Milann Dr
Neighbors told News 5 they've been monitoring the weather since an ice jam first broke free early Saturday morning
They're bracing for more flooding potential in the coming days
about the melting and how fast this is going to break up,” Gauntner said
“Our concern is tomorrow night we’re looking at maybe a half-inch of rain,” said Willoughby Hills Fire Chief Robert Gandee
He said the department will be closely monitoring the Chagrin River and coordinating with other riverfront communities throughout the week
Gandee said neighbors will be encouraged to evacuate low-lying neighborhoods like Milann Drive
“Unfortunately the safest way is - you kind of have to roll with the ice jam and get out its way
And then go back to clean up and moving back,” the chief said
“It’s just cleanup from here on out,” Gauntner said
Some told News 5 they're not sleeping at night because they're watching the river
“I’m not worried about the house getting completely destroyed
I just don’t want to get stuck to the point where we can’t get the kids out,” said Pfahl
Sections of area rivers are overflowing with ice
Trent Magill documented all the ice piling up on Rocky River near the lake
Ice jams happen when chunks of ice clump together to block the flow of a river
This can then cause flooding in communities near the river
RELATED: What are ice jams, and why do they happen?
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Ohio (WOIO) - Willoughby Hills police say water is shut off for a portion of the city due to a water main break
the water on Dodd Road from Eagle Road to 2627 Dodd Rd
the water outage will include Eagle Nest Drive
The water is expected to be off for several hours as crews work to make repairs
Officers say a portion of Dodd Road is closed for repairs
as well as the intersection of Dodd and Eagle roads
Ohio (WOIO) - The Willoughby Hills Police Department needs help identifying a woman who stole a 95-year-old person’s wallet at a store in the city
Police provided several photos of the suspect
Ron Parmertor at 440-942-9111 if you have any information
A Willoughby Hills couple was found dead in their home Sunday morning
police responded to the 2800 block of Orchard Drive for a welfare check after a family friend contacted police and said they had received concerning communication fromthe couple
Police said the preliminary investigation suggests this is an isolated incident with no further threat to public safety; however
their deaths are being investigated as suspicious
Anyone with information regarding the deaths is asked to contact Willoughby Hills Police at 440-942-9111
Ohio — It's been 10 months since Willoughby Hills Police deployed its handheld photo enforcement unit on I-90 and I-271
ODOT found excessive speeding trends on I-90 and I-271; hence
the handheld speed camera unit Willoughby Hills has been enforcing for the past 10 months
RELATED: Willoughby Hills shares early results of laser speed camera program
some drivers told News 5 their mailed citations from Jenoptik
the company Willoughby Hills distributes the citations
costing them hundreds of dollars in fines they said they had no clue about
Kurinsky said she received four Willoughby Hills speeding citations by mail in one week
all from handheld speed camera captures dating back months
Kurinsky's first ticket is dated August 28
Kurinsky said she received all four tickets in the mail the week of October 28
I would have gotten the one ticket; I wouldn't have gotten the rest of these
"What does that amount to financially for you?" asked News 5's Bryn Caswell
Caswell brought Kurinsky's concerts directly to Willoughby Hills Police Chief Mat Naegele
"I am not discounting the fact that you may have received the ticket late
but the fact of the matter is they do mail it out
and perhaps you didn't see it in the mail when the first notice came
There's no way for us to legitimize one way or the other," Naegele said
In the handheld speed units' first 10 months of operation
Naegele says 36,000 citations have been mailed
He said he's only encountered about a dozen people wanting to dispute their offenses
"This is a matter of compliance; trying to get out speeds down here
not trying to stick it to people in any sense of that term," said Naegele
The company Willoughby Hills police pays to legitimize and distribute speeding citations by mail is Jenoptik
News 5 contacted a company spokesperson about U.S
postal delays increasing speeding fines for drivers
but none of the questions were answered; instead
we were told to speak to the police department
"We have run into situations where again from time to time things pop up and you do your best to give yourself the benefit of the doubt to the driver themselves," Naegele said
"If it turns into a larger problem it's something we will certainly have to take a look at."
That answer is not good enough for Kurinsky
who is now trying to find a third job to make ends meet
"I am already trying to rebuild my credit," Kurinsky said
Naegele said he's working with Kurinsky to figure out a solution
possibly waiving her hearing fees of $25 per citation
The city of Willoughby Hills has generated over $2 million in the past 10 months since the handheld speed cameras were implemented
If you have been involved in a similar situation
email Bryn Caswell at bryn.caswell@wews.com
Ohio (WOIO) - Firefighters posted a video to their Facebook page early Thursday morning
reporting the ice jam in the Chagrin River had broken free
Firefighters added there were no reports of flooding
The mix of rain and warmer temperatures had raised concerns of potential flooding risks for the past several weeks
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Willoughby Hills Firefighters warn of flooding risks due to ice jams
Firefighters had been closely monitoring the progress of the ice jams and had told residents in the area of Milann Drive to get ready
WILLOUGHBY HILLS, Ohio — An ice jam broke free and caused the Chagrin River to swell and affect several homes in the area
according to the Willoughby Hills Police Department
News 5 was on the scene and could see the ice jam stopped by Pleasant Valley Park
but residents were already feeling the impacts of flooding
Neighbors reported hearing what sounded like thunder around 12:30 a.m.
which turned out to be the sound of ice breaking up
many residents evacuated their homes or moved their cars away from the river
leaving many returning residents to wade through icy waters to reach their homes
I was in shock actually,” said Jenny Wargo
who came home to find her house — a blue one — surrounded by water
said the flooding was upsetting but not entirely unfamiliar
We’ve been through a few floods growing up
While some residents reported hearing the ice break
others said they were unaware until authorities knocked on their doors
the ice jam is less than half a mile away from the neighborhood
some as long as 5 feet and up to 12 inches thick
noted that the river hasn’t frozen over like this in years
“The river has not frozen over completely for a very long period of time
Willoughby fire and police departments checked on residents throughout the day
residents weighed their options — evacuate or stay put
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Chagrin River near Chardon Road and Willoughby
Willoughby police and fire responded to Milann Drive for rising water and ice from the river
Police said the water began to recede before any rescue efforts were needed
The Willoughby Hills Fire Department was on standby
We have several bridges in the cities with gauges painted on them," said Lt
Lou Dimattia of the Willoughby Hills Fire Department
Dimattia told News 5 his department and others along the Chagrin River have been monitoring the water levels on the phones with a new app
we may not be able to be down by the river," said Dimattia
"So it helps us just kind of keep an eye on things."
Residents who live downstream from the ice jam moved their valuables to higher ground in their homes in anticipation of the worst
“It can go from what you're looking at right now to up to my house in 20 minutes," said Sandy Sheesly
who has lived near the Chagrin River since 2001
but it took 14 years before they ever had an issue
Sheesely said she would like to see the city do more to break up the ice jams before they get this big and before they can do much more damage to homes and properties
"I don't understand why they can't break them up somehow
There's plenty of open areas," Sheesley said
Dimattia said it's unlikely they would bring back detonating the ice like they did in the 1970's
"It's dangerous putting people out on the ice
and we're kind of at the mercy of Mother Nature," Dimattia said
Out of precaution and the unpredictable nature of the river
police say a reverse 9-1-1 was made to residents that could be affected
WHPD said the following areas may experience flooding:
The NWS asks residents in those areas to visit HERE for flood safety and preparedness information
Fox 8 Cleveland WJW
With plenty of rain the past week and more precipitation on the way
officials are monitoring the water levels of the Chagrin River in Willoughby Hills
Scattered showers are decreasing through the late night and overnight
There are still a few leftover showers and storms through late evening
There's a new push to install seatbelts on school buses in one local district
Akron police said they arrested a 31-year-old man who crashed his car into an apartment building
striking a gas meter and prompting an evacuation
then rammed a police cruiser multiple times
hey're invisible invaders found in the air
Tears of joy over a positive pregnancy test quickly turned to tears of fear for a Conneaut woman
The National Weather Service has issued Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for Coshocton
A major dredging project is now underway along the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland Harbor
Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor
beginning work to clear out the vital shipping lanes
this would have been a very impressive and very important building
The same area of low pressure that brought the rain into Northeast Ohio over the weekend will bring in more rain on Monday and Tuesday
Scattered to numerous rain showers and storms will develop Monday afternoon/evening
A few stronger storms will impact areas mainly for places along and east of I-77
Kenny Crumpton is a guest on the Tales and Trails Metroparks Podcast
The Fox 8 I-Team has learned Willoughby Hills police officers are investigating the deaths of two people found inside an Orchard Drive home around 10 a.m
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