What makes a ‘Frank Lloyd Wright building’? Is it a property constructed on his watch? A structure penned by him? A home that speaks to his notion of ‘Usonia’ – an America built to his architectural vision? It’s a question that has recently been put to the test as a property designed by Wright right before his death has now been constructed in Willoughby Hills, Ohio.
The story of this building starts with another. In 1955, Wright built a home for Louis Penfield (who, at 6ft 8in, had challenged the architect to design a space that would accommodate his height). Shortly after it was completed, however, the building was threatened by construction plans for Interstate 90.
Penfield asked Wright to design a second home a few hundred feet from the first. By this point, the architect was 91 years old and claimed to have enough projects to last him until the end of his life. But, soon after he died in 1959, Penfield received drawings of ‘Project #5909’, which had been found on Wright's drawing board. It was his last residential commission.
The original Penfield property was not, in the end, destroyed by the interstate and, in 2018, it was purchased by Sarah Dykstra. The purchase included the plans for Project #5909, which had been dubbed ‘RiverRock’ by Wright. Dykstra worked with her mother, Debbie, and a team of Wright enthusiasts to construct the unbuilt house in a way that remains true to the architect’s vision, even incorporating stone harvested from the Chagrin River by Penfield in the 1960s.
Thus, RiverRock is something of a time capsule – a piece of Wright constructed in 2025. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, which sits on 30 acres of land, has a long, low-lying volume clad in river rock. It features heated floors, a wood-burning fireplace, and views of the surrounding woods through floor-to-ceiling glass in the living areas. The interior features natural materials like stone and wood, which are characteristic of Wright’s designs. RiverRock, along with the Louis Penfield House, are available to rent.
Although RiverRock looks, to the untrained eye, like a midcentury home, Dykstra was not able to follow Wright’s blueprint exactly, due to the need to meet contemporary building standards. Despite her commitment to making necessary changes ‘under the skin’ of the property, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conversancy contest RiverRock’s authenticity, claiming that it deviates too much from its original plans to be considered a true ‘Wright’, describing it instead as an ‘interpretation’ and ‘derivative’.
Whichever camp you are in, ultimately, RiverRock honours the low volumes, natural materials and organic feel of Wright's Usonian dream, and offers a contemporary glimpse into the architect's world.
An overnight stay at RiverRock is $800 on weekdays and $1,000 on weekends. Seven-night stays begin at $5,500, riverrockhouse.com
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