Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Family found dead in Ohio home
Man gets 3 years in prison for having sex with horse
Brown still testing Cavs' lineup
Take comfort in knowing Browns could be bigger losers
Kosar would be wrong call as GM
Sex-toy study at Duke University raises some eyebrows
Akron man turns himself in after authorities turn up heat
Robbers order bar patrons to empty pockets
Blogs:
Pets:
Not 101 Dalmations…but close!
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your perusal
Akron Zips:
The morning after
Tribe Matters:
Tribe makes roster moves
Cleveland Browns:
Lewis doesn't like boycott
Kent State Sports:
Kent State falls to Akron, 20-28
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Knicks
Buckeye Blogging:
Weekly ‘B’ Deck Report – New Mexico St.
Varsity Letters:
Wrestling, bowling teams prepare for season
All Da King's Men:
If It Looks Like Islamic Terrorism…
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Dems Message To Women: Don't Enjoy The Sex
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (62) The Stupak Amendment
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Perfect Weather for an Autumn Drive
Let's Talk Real Estate:
RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
Lakeside community welcomes new landmark as owners add tower during cottage renovation
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Monday, Aug 11, 2008
SPRINGFIELD TWP.: Nanette Zawistowski always loved lighthouses.
And soon, she'll have one of her own.
Not the lawn ornament kind, mind you. But a 25-foot working lighthouse affixed to the top of her house.
She and her husband, Tom, are remodeling and expanding a home along the northern shore of Springfield Lake and decided it just wouldn't be a home without a lighthouse.
The wooden, Amish-crafted structure, which still needs its painted stripes, was put in place last month and towers more than 34 feet above the ground.
It's garnered plenty of attention and become a conversation piece in the lakeside community.
''I've always loved . . . the water,'' Nanette said, explaining why the couple spent about $25,000 for the lighthouse addition. ''I actually lived on Cape Cod for a couple years and just got to love this whole scene.
''So when we found this house and decided to get it and remodel it, we said this lake needs a lighthouse.''
Tom, 53, and Nanette, 57, have lived in Kent since they were married. But with their two kids Sarah and Mike going off to college, they decided it was time to downsize.
The Zawistowskis own TRZ Communications Services in Brimfield Township. Nanette, who has a collection of lighthouse figurines, also works for Kent schools as an educational aide.
They want to live on the water when they retire, but they found some areas such as Twin Lakes and Portage Lakes too pricey. That's when they spotted a vacant, 952-square-foot cottage for sale along Canfield Road.
''This lake is a terrific resource. It's just that no one knows about it,'' Tom said.
They are doubling the size of the home to include four bedrooms and a large sunroom with windows facing the lake. And, of course, adding the lighthouse, which will have a spiral staircase.
They plan to add stone around the base of the front sunroom so it appears that the lighthouse rises out of a rocky island.
The lighthouse itself will serve more as an attic than living space.
The Zawistowskis bought the intricate lighthouse sight unseen over the Internet from the Lighthouse Man, a custom maker in Lewisburg, Pa. It arrived in about 100 pieces and had to be assembled.
''We are taking special precautions to make sure the lighthouse will last 50 years or more,'' Tom said. ''We realize that's important. It has to look good because it's going to represent the community, regardless of what we think.''
The house should be ready around Labor Day.
It took a while for the couple to find the right contractor for the project. Several raised their eyebrows when told there would be a lighthouse.
''I thought it sounded great, but I was just wondering how it was going to look,'' contractor Mark Huscroft of MJH Contractors in Stow said while standing inside the house and underneath the opening for the lighthouse.
And now?
''It's like it belongs there,'' he said.
Several years ago, there was an effort under way to build a lighthouse as a township veterans memorial, but it fizzled because of a lack of money.
''The lighthouse is just a great feature for the lake,'' township Trustee Vince Mealy said.
The lighthouse — just down the road from the township's new gazebo — is attracting attention, he added.
''Oh, yes. It's been amazing,'' Mealy said. ''We have had so much more vehicle traffic up and down Canfield Road since the gazebo went in. People look at the gazebo and then they slow down when they pass the lighthouse.''
The Zawistowskis hope the lighthouse is embraced by the community.
''If it just makes someone smile, that'd be great,'' Tom said. ''It'll just be fun, and shouldn't a lighthouse be fun?''
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
SPRINGFIELD TWP.: Nanette Zawistowski always loved lighthouses.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
