27 September 2016

Fallingwater

Another wonderful stop for us in lovely Southwestern Pennsylvania was our visit to Fallingwater. Fallingwater, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most widely acclaimed works, was designed in 1935 for the family of Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar J. Kaufmann, Sr.

The key to the setting of the house is the waterfall over which it is built. Historically, the falls were a focal point of the Kaufmanns’ activities, and the family indicated to Wright their desire to locate the weekend house near them. Much to their surprise, Wright designed the house to rise above the waterfall, rather than face it. Perhaps better than any single work, Fallingwater exemplifies Wright’s concept of organic architecture: the harmonious union of art and nature.

Wright was 67 years old when he accepted the commission for Fallingwater. Many thought Wright was at the end of his career. In actuality, Fallingwater was in the middle. Half of Wright’s work was done before Fallingwater and half afterwards.

The cost of Fallingwater was slightly over $110,000. Wright had originally estimated the cost at around $30,000. Wright’s architectural fee for Fallingwater was $8,000. Perhaps it is worth remembering the house was built during the Great Depression.

Fallingwater is the only major Wright work to come into the public domain with its setting, original furnishings and artwork intact.

No indoor photograph was allowed. Enjoy the few exterior photographs we were able to capture. Photographing this property during the short time we were there was quite a challenge. While it was a beautiful, sunny day, this made it extremely difficult to photograph the house — since it is surrounded by vegetation and trees. This lighting creates extremes of light and dark areas. It is very tough for a camera to capture.