Famous Couples Visit "Fallingwater"

Bradjelina photo: Cara Armstrong

The road trip to DC for Christmas afforded us the opportunity of stopping enroute at Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater, recognized as one of Wright's most acclaimed architectural works. Set amid the wilderness of western Pennslyvania, the house was less than an hour from our direct route from Chicago to DC.

The house had been in the news lately...Bradjelina had visited just a couple of weeks before on December 7. Angelina had organised a private tour for Brad, an avid architecture buff, as his birthday present. Tours are run through the property every half an hour or so for around a dozen people at a time - but they had the place to themselves for the day - secured, no doubt, by a decent donation to the preservation fund!

It was designed by Wright in 1935 for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh who owned the major department store in the city. Following the natural flow established by the rock ledges of a rushing mountain stream, Wright placed the house over the falls in a series of cantilevered concrete "trays," anchored to masonry walls made of the same sandstone as the rock ledges. Although the house rises over 30' above the falls, strong horizontal lines and low ceilings help maintain a sheltering effect. Almost as much floor space is taken up by outdoor terraces as indoor rooms.

Fallingwater is recognized as one of Wright's most acclaimed works, and in a 1991 poll of members of the American Institute of Architects, it was voted the best all-time work of American architecture. It is considered a supreme example of Frank Lloyd Wright's concept of "organic architecture", which promotes harmony between man and nature through design so well integrated with its site that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified composition.





Interior shots Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

One of the most stunning features was the large open plan living room which takes up most of the main level. The ceiling was only about 6'4" high throughout most of the interior. As you walked into the room the visual effect had you drawn completely towards the windows and the natural wilderness on the other side of the glass - you felt almost at one with the natural environment. Today we are so drawn to high-studded spaces, but standing in this room you felt sheltered and nutured, and yet intimately connected with nature.

Used mainly as a vacation home (what a holiday home!) the property was gifted to the State in 1963 by the only son of the Kaufmann's. What is so special about the property is that Fallingwater is the only great Wright house open to the public with its setting, original furnishings, and art work intact - it's as if the owners have just left the property. Almost all of the original Wright-designed furnishings are still in place.

Sadly we weren't able to take photos of the interior, but there are works by Diego Rivera (who was a guest) and Picasso hanging on the walls, several of the famous Aalto vases, and the Wright Barrel chair (which apparently Mrs Kaufmann wasn't that fond of so it was banished to a guest room).

It was stunning - and a must-see if you are ever near Pittsburgh.