Fallingwater

by AnnaJo Vahle

Title

Fallingwater

Artist

AnnaJo Vahle

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Photograph - Photography

Description

While visiting my son last fall, we spent a day at Fallingwater. It was still reasonably safe to travel. The pandemic hadn't yet hit. We visited many interesting places in the area. This was one of my favorites. I once studied architectural engineering and have always wanted to see this. It was fall and the leaves were changing colors. I took this photograph with my I-phone while on the walking path nearby.

Perched above a mountain cataract on a rocky hillside deep in the rugged forest of Southwestern Pennsylvania, some 90 minutes from Pittsburgh, is America’s most famous house. The commission for Fallingwater was a personal milestone for the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, since it clearly marked a turning point in his career. This was built in 1935.

In Fallingwater, Wright anchored a series of reinforced concrete “trays” to the natural rock. Cantilevered terraces of local sandstone blend harmoniously with the rock formations, appearing to float above the stream below. The first floor entry, living room and dining room merge to create one continuous space, while a hatch door in the living room opens to a suspended stairway that descends to the stream below. Glass walls further open the rooms to the surrounding landscape. In 1938, Wright designed additional guest quarters set into the hillside directly above the main house and linked by a covered walkway. Fallingwater remained the family’s beloved weekend home for 26 years. In 1963 the Kaufmanns donated the property to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, together with 1,543 acres of surrounding land. It opened its door as a museum in 1964 and has since hosted more than five million visitors.

4/8/23...3rd place tie in GREEN HOMES

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August 6th, 2020

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