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Happy 75th, Fallingwater
Celebrate legendary Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece with an enchanted evening
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
There have been many times over the years that we've visited Fallingwater, a house located in the hills of western Pennsylvania. We've done the regular tour, a Sunday brunch tour and attended an evening reception there. In each occasion, Fallingwater never failed to enchant, enliven and teach.
The house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1930s for Edgar Kaufmann, a Pittsburgh department store owner, and in 1991 it was named the "best all-time work of American architecture." In 1963 the Kaufmann's son, Edgar Jr., entrusted the house, land and original furnishings to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which today continues as conservator of this remarkable building.
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Fallingwater, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, caretakers of Fallingwater, held "an enchanted evening" at the house on Friday, Sept. 17, 2011. (Learn more about the event here.) An evening reception at Fallingwater — with the house aglow like a lantern in the woods while the sounds of the waterfall, soft music and good conversation fill the air — would be like no other.
The house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1930s for Edgar Kaufmann, a Pittsburgh department store owner, and in 1991 it was named the "best all-time work of American architecture." In 1963 the Kaufmann's son, Edgar Jr., entrusted the house, land and original furnishings to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which today continues as conservator of this remarkable building.
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Fallingwater, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, caretakers of Fallingwater, held "an enchanted evening" at the house on Friday, Sept. 17, 2011. (Learn more about the event here.) An evening reception at Fallingwater — with the house aglow like a lantern in the woods while the sounds of the waterfall, soft music and good conversation fill the air — would be like no other.
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| The iconic view of the house can be had with just a short walk through the woods to an outcropping. In what can rarely be said about buildings, this house makes Mother Nature all the better for being there. It truly is the high point in Frank Lloyd Wright's quest for an "organic architecture." |
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| The house hovers over the waterfall. At once connected and rooted to its site while seemingly ready to fly free and into the sky. Mrs. Kaufmann, an avid outdoors person, would fish from the stair over the waterfall. |
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| The main living space features windows all around and a stone floor. Terraces overlooking the water are accessible from the right and left, expanding the space of the room to the outdoors. And though large, this room lives quite comfortably. This is a testament to Wright's ability to manipulate scale to get the desired effect. |
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| In true Wright fashion, built-in seating provides a relaxing place to take a nap, read a book or share the company of friends and family. |
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The covering over the stair that leads from the main living room to the waterfall can be seen in this photo. When open, the sounds of the water rushing below fill the room. When closed, the water's sound is muted to a soft background song.
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| The central, vertical core of the house is built of local stone and houses fireplaces at each level, although none as grand as at the main living room. This fireplace, like those great hearths in Colonial America, gives a sense of welcome and warmth to the space. The large stone at the hearth has existed in this location for thousands of years, connecting the house to its site like no other. |
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From almost every room there is a sense of the stone core that rises from the site. Against this backdrop are places to relax and recharge. This was, after all, a weekend "vacation" home for the Kaufmann family.
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The attention to detail is unsurpassed, as in the matching woods of the wardrobe. A testament to the close collaboration between architect and client.
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What could be a better place to sit and write a letter to a dear friend while overlooking the stream below.
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Ideabook updated on Dec. 20, 2011.
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It just reopened after a major renovation.
And a good book for anyone wanting to learn more about the design and construction of this home is "Fallingwater Rising" by Franklin Toker. From the initial client / architect meetings to the design and drafting to the often turbulent construction activities, Mr. Toker's narrative is filled with wonderful stories about how this most wonderful of houses became a reality.
There is another Wright property not too far away, called Kentuck Knob. The current owners, Lord and Lady Palumbo, have made it available to tour when they're not in residence. Of the two, I'd rather live in this one.
Kentuck Knob is a really wonderful home and being so close together, it's a great trip to visit each and see how Wright designed two very different homes for two very different sites. And it was the Lord Palumbo, owner of the Mies designed Farnsworth House for over 30 years, that hosted the reception at Fallingwater. Nice story.
Thanks for sharing.
My grandfather made deliveries to Fallingwater and considered it to be a very impractical leaking, drafty building and gave me a very different perspective: that of those who worked behind the scenes to navigate the mountain roads and paths to make living and entertaining there possible, and those who worked to keep it warm and maintain the structure against the inevitability of the western PA elements. I was simply in love with its beauty and the romance of being able to actually afford a weekend home and, 25 years after moving away, I still miss the mountains in which Fallingwater rests.
I also had the opportunity as a teenager to go through Kentuck Knob while it was being renovated and was still referred to as "The Hagan Estate." I vaguely remember some talk of the new owners being from England so it must have been soon after it was sold. I remember little of what I saw other than a great feeling of stone everywhere (it was pretty much gutted at the time). Thanks to this article and the comments, I'm eager to make a long-overdue trip and play tourist. I'll be sure to visit the falls at Ohio Pyle and, of course, Cucumber Falls (still my favorite). Maybe finally take a whitewater rafting trip down the Yough and definitely visit all the historical sites of the area like Fort Necessity, Braddock's Grave... there are tons of things to do in the area if you're a history and/or nature-lover. This time I might even stay at the Summit Inn and enjoy the view with drinks in the evening. Huh, for the first time in decades, I'm feeling homesick...