Date of trip: September 2008

Will and I are big fans of modern architecture so Fallingwater, a house designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has been on our list of places to visit for many years. Located an hour and a half outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it is widely considered the most beautiful house in the world and is certainly one of the most famous. Why is Fallingwater so special? The house is literally built into a waterfall and enhances the surrounding natural landscape without intruding on it.

I booked us on the first tour of the day to avoid crowds. Although the house is in a remote location, it is very popular with tourists and reservations must be made in advance online or by phone. Tickets start at $16/adult for a regular tour with no pictures but there are many more expensive options that include more rooms, photography, sunset hours and brunch.

Fallingwater was built in the 1930s for the Kaufmann family, owners of a department store in Pittsburgh. They met Frank Lloyd Wright when their son studied under him. The Kaufmanns loved modern design and had a lot of money so it was a perfect match.

The Tour:

The tour of Fallingwater starts in the kitchen, small and somewhat standard except for its unusual windows. The glass panes come directly out of the stone walls with no frames separating the two. In the small reading room next to the kitchen there is another unique window with no frames on it’s corners. The frameless windows appear throughout the house and give the illusion that they are glass free and open to the elements. Wright wanted to minimize the separation between indoors and outdoors and the technique is very effective.

We visited three bedrooms all equipped with fireplaces, the only source of heat in the house, and private balconies. The balconies are cantilevered, or supported on just one end. They hang over the waterfall outside the house and your view over the edge is unobstructed. By giving each living space a private outdoor area Wright encouraged guests to form personal relationships with the natural setting outside.

The most famous room in the house is the Grand Room and it doesn’t disappoint. It combines a dining room, living room and small sitting area into one large space. Shelves line the walls of the eating area while a long couch and tall windows cover the opposite side. A staircase leading outside is positioned so it disappears into the river running below. A stone fireplace with the most beautiful hearth I’ve ever seen adds warmth to the room.

Above Fallingwater there is a second building which was used as a car garage and guest house. There is a sitting room and a bedroom here and offices for the foundation currently maintaining the property and running the tours. Directly outside, there is a pool with interesting stone slab steps that is fed by natural water. It may or may not be full during a visit as it is routinely emptied.

Fallingwater has been open to the public since 1964 and millions of people have visited. Although it has many admirers, with the building codes of today, it could never be duplicated making it truly one of a kind. There may no longer be residents living at Fallingwater but it continues to provide many people with a serene and peaceful escape from city life, if only for a few hours.

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

Permission for this non-commercial use of photography from Fallingwater was obtained from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Fallingwater Links:
Fallingwater Official Site