National Register of Historic Places

Penfield, Louis A., House

Willoughby Hills, Lake County, Ohio
Listed
February 7, 1997
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
96001622

About this property

The Louis Penfield House is located at 2203 River Road in Willoughby Hills, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. One of nine Usonian homes in Ohio designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Penfield House was built for the art teacher Louis Penfield. The two-story house is made of wood panels and concrete blocks, with large glass windows on the exterior. It includes an open-air carport, a combined living–dining–kitchen area on the first floor, and three bedrooms above the kitchen. Since Penfield wanted the house to accommodate his 6-foot-8-inch (203 cm) stature, the house has higher doorways than many other buildings designed by Wright. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places. Louis Penfield commissioned the house in 1952, and it was completed in 1955. Penfield also commissioned Wright to design a second house on the site, known as RiverRock, which was postponed due to a lack of funds. The family moved out in the 1990s and maintained it as a rental property for five years. Starting in 1998, Louis's son Paul restored the Penfield House for $100,000. Paul started renting the house out to guests in 2003 and placed it for sale in 2014. The Dykstra family bought the house in 2018 and decided to construct RiverRock, which was finished in 2025.

Location

2203 River Rd.
Willoughby Hills, Lake County, Ohio
41.61942, -81.40817

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Penfield, Louis A., House

This page lists Penfield, Louis A., House. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Penfield, Louis A., House report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Boyce, Julia F. Country Estate (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
1 mi
Smart Building
Industrial
1.4 mi
Downtown Willoughy Historic District
Listed
1.4 mi
Kirtland Temple
Industrial
2.4 mi
Whitney, Newel K., Store
Industrial
2.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Penfield, Louis A., House listed on the National Register?

Penfield, Louis A., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 7, 1997.

What type of historic resource is Penfield, Louis A., House?

Penfield, Louis A., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Penfield, Louis A., House?

The period of significance for Penfield, Louis A., House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Penfield, Louis A., House?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Penfield, Louis A., House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Lake County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Lake County.

Explore LakeCounty ›

More historic places in Ohio

Browse all historic places in Ohio.

View Ohiohistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Ohio history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Ohiohistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Penfield, Louis A., House will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report