Chagrin Falls, OH (4/6/2013)

Saturday, April 6, 2013
While house hunting, we explored the nearby village of Chagrin Falls. Recommended as a place to establish a residence, it offers a three-block long downtown, including a village square:

The square is really a triangle.
The bandstand:

A view of the township hall from the bandstand:

Built in 1848 by Aristarchus Champion, the one-story Greek Revival style building was first a public library. Purchased by the township in 1864, the building was remodeled into a two-story Italianate style structure in 1875.  Henry Church, Jr., who was the Chagrin Falls blacksmith, created the weather vane. After a fire destroyed the Township Hall in 1943, it was restored as a Colonial Revival building. In 1975 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There is also a village hall...
The Township of Chagrin Falls was established in 1845 in the Chagrin River Valley. Parts of the township has since been incorporated into the villages of Chagrin Falls, Moreland Hills and Bentleyville. What remains of the unincorporated township once contained farms and a Pre-Depression private estate. It now is a large-lot (5-acre) residential community.
The Chagrin River was named for Francois Seguin, a Frenchman who traded with Native Americans in Northeast Ohio circa 1742. Much to my chagrin, I see the English language has mangled the Frenchman's surname.
The Village of Chagrin Falls is centered around the "High Falls" of the Chagrin River, where settlers from New England (circa 1833) were attracted by the source of water power:

The settlement was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. By the mid-nineteenth century, there were several factories and 9-11 mills on the riverbanks. The Village of Chagrin Falls was incorporated in 1844.
Chagrin Falls has been home to comedian Tim Conway; artist Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes; rock musician Scott Weiland; and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas.
Chagrin Falls has brand new condos selling for over $700,000 and pockets of small tired condos built in the 1960s to 1980s. The homes range from stately mansions of former factory owners  to rural bungalows. There was nothing available for us in between the pricing extremes.

BASF is located in Beachwood, OH, a commercial and residential suburb of Cleveland. Driving through the streets of homes, we often come across deer: