Day 91 FallingWater

You don't get to FallingWater by accident.  The roads are tiny and twisted and relatively obscure.  I imagine that is the way the Kaufman family wanted their retreat.

In the 30's the roads would have been even more hidden, probably little more than a rutted dirt road.  Fallingwater was a place to escape the noise and pollution of Pittsburgh, an idyllic, quiet place of contemplation and relaxation.


Today, visitors to FallingWater are greeted by a Western Pennsylvania Conservancy employee and an entry fee of $33 per adult.  The road is well grated and winds into a moderate sized parking lot. When I visited, it was about a third full.

You walk down a path to the visitor's area. There is a modest cafe, restrooms and a gift shop. None are oversized.  Adequate for the surroundings. At the park there are no real services. If you bring it in you bring it out.

Because there are priceless works of art - Picasso's and Tiffany lamps, bags are not allowed.  You are welcome to return them to your vehicle, or lock them away in wooden lockers near the center of the visitor pavilion. Food and drink are not allowed on the tour as befitting a museum.

A downhill path of pea gravel leads you toward the Kaufman home.  It is hidden in trees.  The sound of rushing water tickles your ears along with the various melodies of the birds on the property.

Back in the day, you would have followed the path up to a four car garage, the entry bays separated by flagstone.  Today, the garage area is used for the Conservancy.  Rather than follow the wide path, you turn to a smaller one on the right which leads to the home's entry, the sound of the water is louder here.

The story goes that the Kaufman's wanted to replace a cabin they had, which was a little further downstream.  Wright talked them into being above the water rather than next to it.  His decision led to the dramatic inclusion of nature in the Kaufman abode.

To the right the creek runs, a good steady pace now that spring has melted away the snow.  The water goes under a footbridge and then next to the house.  From this side, there are open stairs that allow one to dip their feet into the cold stream. Off to the side is a tiny pool, perfect for small children except that small children were not a part of the Kaufman family.  Their only son was in his 20's when FallingWater was built.

The water rushes over boulders, and if you were to follow the path toward the garages (and the signs pointing you to the scenic view)

you would see the dramatic vista often photographed and filmed.

Each of the viewing areas within the house provide wondrous scenes. The cantilevered decks extend from the living room and the bedrooms to allow for access to the natural surrounds.

Wright was not an exceptionally tall man, and he felt the ideal human size was 5 foot 8 inches.  Interestingly, that was Mr. Wright's height as well. Using this as a basis, Wright built things to human scale, which often related to the size of the owner of the home.  For FallingWater human scale also was 5 foot 8 inches.

In practical terms, this meant windows and doorways were crafted to human scale.  Tall people beware, you could easily hit your head in Fallingwater!

Not only did Wright design the house, but he did a couple other things you wouldn't normally expect an architect to do.  He designed dining rooms but not kitchens. He also designed the furniture.

 The seating area against the windows is cantilevered from the wall and suspended. Wright designed the recessed lighting in the ceiling.  Off to the right of this photo is a large, walk-in fireplace. Near the chair is the enclosed stairway that serves as a natural air conditioner (see the second photo).

Closets in the bedrooms are cantilevered and do not touch the floor.  The bedrooms aren't exceptionally large, but adequate for the job of sleeping and letter writing.  Windows in the bedrooms, the ones that open are seventeen inches (a prime number that when you multiply it by four you end up with sixty-eight, also 5 foot, 8 inches).

These windows located in a corner do not support the structure and when opened give an unobstructed view of the woods. In the photo above, you can see what appears to be a door open.  This is actually a large window.  Mr. Kaufman felt the desk was too small (notice it is cantilevered also) and wanted an extension.  Wright wanted the window to open, so, he carved a curve out of the desk extension to accommodate opening the window. On the side of the bed not pictured is a tiny shelf system with the same degree of curvature.

Everywhere you go in FallingWater you are reminded of the presence of nature.  The younger Kaufman, donated FallingWater and all its contents to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy along with the 1500 acres it sits on.  Later the Conservancy bought an additional 5,000 acres making this a truly enchanted place.

A few other things to note. Remember, FallingWater is a destination.  Remember that it is remote and there are few services available. Remember that large swaths are accessible, but the house is not handicap friendly.  There are a lot of stairs in the house cut from the surrounding countryside's boulders. The visitor area near the parking lot is handicap accessible and wide paths will allow one to see the magnificence of the home's exterior. The paths are well marked, but can be steep. There is a small shuttle for people who aren't able to navigate the terrain.

The house and it's contents are priceless. Wright was a man who designed well ahead of his time. Even today, some of his concepts would be considered unique.  The impact he had on American architecture, and on the world is undeniable.  

Unfortunately, due to changing needs, natural disasters and the like, many of Wright's creations are not withstanding the demands being made by contemporary society (one of his designs was filled with asbestos because it was at one time considered safe). 

I urge you to visit any of his homes and other buildings while you can. There is no guarantee that they all will make a list of historic places to preserve. My understanding is the Snowflake Hotel in St. Joseph MI no longer stands. 

Taliesin, in Spring Green WI and Taliesin West have a foundation that executes Wright designs.  Blueprints can be purchased.  Still none of these is quite the same as being built by the man who argued against screens because they obstructed the view of nature Wright was trying to bring in to the home.  None of these new possibilities has the fire of the man who proved that the golf tee structure could hold support weight at double the prediction. 

It was a honor and privilege for me to visit FallingWater just outside of Mill Run PA. If I had a bucket list it would have been on it.

A special thank you to Stewart Hicks who reminded me that I was going to be in the neighborhood.