Fallingwater is the most acclaimed American architectural work promoting harmony between man and nature
Frank
Lloyd Wright, internationally recognized as one of the leading modern
architects of his day, is best known for creating a new form of American
housing, the prairie house, as well as the award-winning single family
home, Fallingwater.
Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned by the wealthy Pittsburgh businessman
Edgar Kaufman Sr to build a weekend home in the rural Bear Run area near
Pittsburgh, Pennsylania. Kaufman requested a simple structure overlooking
the waterfall and its attendant cabins.
Instead Wright asked for a survey of the area surrounding the waterfall,
including all of the boulders and trees. He then proceeded to build one
of his most acclaimed works, which was voted the best all time work of
American Architecture' by the American Institute of Architects, despite
some structural issues and problems with damp. A spectacular example of
organic architecture, a harmonious blend of man and nature through
design, Wright used every modern construction tool available in 1935 to
create this naturally integrated home, seemingly part of the underlying
rock bed and waterfall.
Mimicking the natural pattern of the existing rock ledges, Wright built
the house over the falls in a series of cantilevered concrete 'trays',
using the same material as the boulders, Pittsville sandstone, for the
walls. Rising more than 9 m (30 ft) above the falls, Wright's strong
horizontal lines and low ceilings maintain a sheltering effect, which is
seamless with the exterior. He built as much floor space on outdoor
terraces as he did indoors, effectively bringing the outdoors inside.
Completed in 1939, Fallingwater is the only Wright house with its
original Wright-designed furnishings and artwork intact open to the
public. The Kaufman family's collection of fine art, textiles, objets
d'art, books and furnishings, which they collected from the 1930s to the
1960s, is on view, representing the eclectic tastes of a sophisticated,
well-travelled family. Works by Audubon, Tiffany, Diego Rivera, Picasso,
Jacques Lipchitz, Richmond Barthe and by Japanese artists Hiroshige and
Hokusai can be seen in this magnificent modern architectural wonder, a
reminder that only our imaginations have limitations.
