frank lloyd wright waterfall house pennsylvania

Its fame would become undeniable in 1937. Moreover, this particular architect-client relationship produced a design unrivaled by contemporary American architects at the time.Įven before its construction was complete, Fallingwater captured the world’s imagination. His clients’ openness to new ideas and their promotion of modern design through Kaufmann’s Department Store challenged Wright. Wright exhibited the best of his art, tempered by experience and stimulated by the opportunity to unite man with nature-one of his core beliefs. It was a daring move that permitted the Kaufmanns to not only simply view nature but actually live in its midst.ĭramatic Setting of the Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wrightįrank Lloyd Wright chose the most dramatic of these falls when siting the Kaufmanns’ house. Thus, they could be enjoyed from afar or cantilever directly over them. He imagined a residence placed-not as the Kaufmanns were expecting-across from the falls.

The Kaufmanns’ love for Bear Run’s rushing waterfalls inspired the architect.

After receiving the commission for Edgar Kaufmann’s corner office interior of Kaufmann’s Department Store, Frank Lloyd Wright visited Pittsburgh, and ultimately Bear Run, in December 1934. This engagement also led to the commission of Fallingwater. Introduced to Wright by his son, Edgar Jr., who had studied with Wright at Taliesin, Kaufmann was intrigued by the image of the aging architectural genius who, at age 67, was thought to be in the twilight of his career.

It was founded upon mutual respect and a shared affinity for new ideas and challenges. The partnership between Edgar Kaufmann and Frank Lloyd Wright was a fruitful one. The Partnership between Edgar Kauffman and Frank Lloyd Wright One of his greatest works, which also embodies this idea in the fullest, is Fallingwater. He created an eco-system that connected buildings to the environment around them, and in turn to our lives. Wright pioneered principles of sustainability before the word sustainability became commonplace. Whether it be through inspirations in form, the celebration of materials, or a strong physical connection to the landscape. He crafted this phrase to explain how all of our human work connects back to nature. He became a driving force in the design of modern buildings responsive to the changing social environment.Įven as Wright embraced the new, he remained grounded in the principles of organic architecture. Wright embraced these changes during a career spanning 70+ years. These years represented a period of unprecedented change, with new technologies, materials, and methods changing our work, homes, and lives. Indeed, he believed that beautiful surroundings and objects enrich and improve lives. Wright was born in Wisconsin just after the civil war he died shortly before the launch of Sputnik in 1959, on the eve of the space age. The entire renovation cost more than $11 million dollars which is 71 times the cost to build it in 1937 and 367 times more than the original budget of $30,000 (Wright went way over budget at $155,000).One of the greatest universally recognized American architects is Frank Lloyd Wright.

They could not bring the concrete structures back to true level again because it would have put too much strain on the house. Around 2001, engineers began a huge renovation, removing the stone floors (mapping and numbering every stone) and installing huge cables like giant guitar strings under the floor which, when tensioned, arrested the sagging of the cantilevers and even brought them back toward level. The cantilevered floors began to sag due to some engineering problems and there was real concern that the cantilevers would fail. The cantilever above that is turned ninety degrees to the first level and sticks outward over the waterfall. Falling Water is anchored to the boulder on which it sits and its lowest cantilever juts out over the Bear Run creek and waterfall. The cantilever is a structure that is attached to a solid, stable base on one end, but is not connected at the other.

Frank lloyd wright waterfall house pennsylvania