This sign stands at the entrance to the road leading to Fallingwater
When TG and I left Pittsburgh that morning in early November, we drove about seventy miles southeast to Mill Run, Pennsylvania ... site of Fallingwater, one of the most famous once-private residences in the world.
It was designed and built in the mid 1930s by Frank Lloyd Wright, America's most famous architect, for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh.
They owned an eponymous department store: Kaufmann's.
(If you click on Chapter 3 of this site, you'll get a fascinating look into the lives of E.J. and Liliane Kaufmann, who in addition to being man and wife, were first cousins.)
Fallingwater is a masterpiece in more ways than one. Click to embiggen.
Fallingwater is situated in an area of Pennsylvania known as the Laurel Highlands. It is remote -- not conveniently near an interstate exit -- and one can only imagine what was involved in reaching it in the 1930s.
Pittsburgh was a major steel manufacturing center and was dubbed "Hell with the lid off" during the summer months.
One would need to be immensely wealthy and privileged to have access to a summer retreat at all, much less one like the fabulous Fallingwater.
When the Kaufmanns commissioned FLW to design and build the house on a property where for years they had had a casual camp-type dwelling, their intention was for the gorgeous waterfall to be visible from their windows.
The welcome center, true to the FLW vision, is at one with nature
Frank Lloyd Wright turned around and situated the house on top of the waterfall -- a considerable engineering challenge -- and refused to build the house anywhere else.
Some tense conversations ensued between client and architect, but in the end FLW got his way.
I think he made the Wright decision. When you stand at the overlook and gaze upon the house from what is undeniably the best possible angle, you know that had it been built anywhere else, you probably would not be standing there gawping.
Our tour guide. Most of the way to the house, he walked backwards while talking.
Straight from Wikipedia: At age 67, Frank Lloyd Wright was given the opportunity to design and construct three buildings. With his three works of the late 1930s, (Fallingwater, the Johnson Wax Building in Racine, Wisconsin, and the Herbert Jacobs house in Madison, Wisconsin), Wright regained his prominence in the architectural community.
When we visited Fallingwater, it was autumn -- again, past peak leaf time but still mind-boggling in its beauty.
(I happen to like it when lots of leaves are on the ground as well as a decent number left in the trees.)
If you ever get to go to Fallingwater, I would recommend going in October. I mean, I'm sure it's gorgeous in the spring too, but there is just something about a place like this in autumn that takes it to another level.
It is hard to tear your gaze away from Fallingwater
It's odd that the house's owners probably never saw it in the fall, having spent as much time there as they could in the summer months and their lives revolving around Pittsburgh society for the balance of the year.
On the day that we were there, Fallingwater would be open for just a few more weeks. Tours of the house are not offered in the winter months, but one can visit in January and February and take what they call Winter Walks on the property.
If you opt for that, be sure to bundle up.
There were many visitors too. I was happy to see lots of young people who were somewhat boisterously enjoying the house and grounds, along with the regular contingent of older folks like me and TG.
An elderly couple from Kansas City took this picture of us
Normally I don't like noisy people but the high-school and college-age kids' apparent joy at being at Fallingwater for the day, was rather charming. And they were very polite.
We also met an older couple who had flown in from Kansas City for a few days just to see Fallingwater and Polymath Park, another Frank Lloyd Wright attraction in the area.
It was they who took the pictures of TG and me at the overlook. We took identical pictures of them.
When we arrived at Fallingwater, we were considerably early for our tour. We'd bought the tickets weeks earlier, because the time slots sell out fast and we had to drive all the way home later that day.
The main living area was replete with fascinating objects
I approached a lady behind a window in a kiosk and told her we were there. Well did you want to take your tour EARLIER? she said. I would have put money on her finding my presence at her window annoying.
Oh dear, I thought. Hello to you too! I said, No, but is it okay if look around for a while before our tour? Like at the coffee shop and gift shop?
I am enthralled by coffee shops and gift shops in equal measure.
She sighed. All right. But make sure you're back in this area at twelve thirty.
The ladies room :: let this sink in
Yes ma'am, I thought. We certainly shall make sure of that, since our tickets are paid for and that is our tour time.
I checked out the ladies' room and found it at a level of architectural earnestness that one rarely sees. So I took a picture of the sinks and mirrors for you.
Then TG and I went into the gift shop and began looking around for gifts and souvenirs. To offset the curmudgeon I had encountered moments before, I made the acquaintance of a perfectly lovely and helpful young lady behind one of the counters.
Later I went down to the coffee shop and paid too much for a cup of average not-hot coffee, but I enjoyed sitting looking out at the trees of Fallingwater while I drank it.
The coffee was not good but the view was excellent
The house is nowhere near this hub of operations; you need a tour guide to approach it. There is, however, a path through the woods leading to the aforementioned overlook.
We set out for that and it wasn't far, and the weather was perfect and the scenery breathtaking.
And then we saw the house and I must say, it makes you stare. The pictures I am showing you depict what we saw, but it's more a feeling you get when you are there with the sounds of the waterfall and of birds, and the smell of the leaves.
I hope you get to go someday and see it for yourself. It's worth every mile and every penny.
I didn't go down the stairs but I wanted to
Later we gathered with our group to meet our tour guide, who turned out to be absolutely wonderful. He was funny and nice and personable and so knowledgeable about everything there.
When I finally stepped over the threshold of Fallingwater into a tiny staircased hallway (Frank Lloyd Wright was big on the concept of compression and release, i.e. a small area opening into a larger, more expansive area) leading to the living room, I was on the verge of being overwhelmed.
I couldn't believe that after so many years of wanting to see Fallingwater, I was actually there.
The view from Fallingwater's rooftop decks
The house, like all FLW-designed private dwellings, was designed to meld with its surroundings. It certainly does that, and if you like looking outside from inside through endless expanses of window, you would be in heaven here.
One of my favorite things about the living room was the steps leading down to a tiny deck that meets the wet boulders below.
I didn't walk down the steps but having seen a picture of this feature at least thirty years ago, I was excited to look on them with my own eyes.
It's just so original, so clever, so heartfelt, so playful and yet profound in its way. Amazing.
Loads of curb appeal. Must see to appreciate.
There is so much more I could say but Fallingwater is a place that should be experienced in person. It maybe is not for everyone but if you have a joint interest in American history and architecture, this would be a treat for you as it was for me.
Eventually we had to leave as it was going to be an eight- or nine-hour drive to home.
And it was not an easy drive, as the route involves traversing West Virginia from north to south, through much mountainous terrain.
This sign stands at the edge of the parking lot, just feet from the welcome center
But by God's grace we made it home safely and counted ourselves fortunate to have had a trip so full of happy events and gorgeous weather and beautiful places that speak to the heart.
We are taking another, different sort of trip in a few weeks and when it's in the books, I'll provide you with a rundown of its every aspect. Complete with pictures.
And that is all for now.
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Happy Friday :: Happy Weekend
