A three-part event featuring the Louis Penfield House, which was designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, will be raising funds for the Willoughby Historical Society and their yearly events that highlight and introduce the public to the history in Willoughby and Lake County.
“I joined the Willoughby Historical Society last fall and they’re amping up all their activities throughout the year,” said Lori Diemer, who is spearheading the events. “Featuring Penfield was on their list of things they wanted to do this year. In January, I said I’ll take on this fundraiser. I’ve been to the Penfield House and I would love to help organize this kind of event for them, so that’s how I got involved.”
The three events as part of the fundraiser will allow people to revisit or discover the Penfield House, located at 2203 River Road in Willoughby Hills. A VIP reception event is scheduled for Oct. 20, and tickets are $59 per person.
“It is $59 because that’s the year Wright died,” Diemer said. “There’s only 30 tickets available because the size of the home is rather small and 30 is the maximum we can have.”
The reception will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Paul Penfield, Louis’ son, will be a guest speaker and talk about his experience acquiring and restoring the home.
Scheduled for Oct. 21 are tours of the house at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. The tours will be 90 minutes each, and attendees will be shuttled from the Willoughby Senior Center parking lot, Diemer said.
“The shuttle is being run by the Willoughby Recreation Department,” she said. “(Recreation Director) Judean Banker Keller is working with me on how to get that arranged.”
Thirty people will again be the maximum group for the house tour. Cost is $25 per person. Shoe covers will be provided, or attendees are required to remove their shoes to tour the house. The house is not handicap accessible.
The third part of the event is a raffle. Ticket sales are ongoing until Oct. 20, the date the winner of a two-night stay at Penfield will be drawn.
“It’s for up to five people,” Diemer said. “It’s self-catered, but they do have the normal amenities — linens, bedding and stuff in the kitchen. We are almost 60 tickets sold for the three house tours out of 90. The raffle tickets are $25. We’re only selling 200 of them, and the value of the prize is $1,000 for a two-night stay. The VIP reception is almost half full.”
The historical society is also working to support the Willoughby Welcome Center House located on Public Square. The house not only welcomes visitors to Willoughby, but houses a museum of historical artifacts collected by the society and is used by other nonprofit groups in Willoughby.
“The home has annual costs,” Diemer said. “The historical society, the Heart of Willoughby and the Welcome Center groups are working together to raise funds to help pay for these various expenses.”
Tickets for any of the three events may be purchased on eventbrite.com by searching “It’s Wright in Willoughby Hills, Ohio”
For all other inquiries, email Diemer at lkdiemer@gmail.com.
