Fallingwater

[gerntz]

Got to tour FLW's masterpiece today. If you're in western PA/northern WV, make a point to visit. Just WOW. We went 2-3 hours out of our way to see it.

Been wanting to see the place for 20-25 years. I was worried I'd be disappointed given all the hype, but we were bowled over. It's magnificent. The innovation & attention to detail of design overwhelm you. It's hard to believe how much thought & integration of that thought with the site went into it. And the craftsmanship & specifically fabricated materials are amazing.

Heck of a maintainence issue though with all the water running around and thru it plus all the joints where nature meets human construction.

The Pittsburgh department store family that had it built wanted to spend about $30-35K in 1936. They spent $155K. Five years ago its conservancy group shored up some of the cantilevered spaces & it cost $12M!

[oruacat2]

My old roomie is a UK College of Architecture grad (currently working in San Francisco with his UK architect wife), and there were always photos and books laying around the house when we lived together, so I'm a bit of a FLW geek, too. I stopped and visited Fallingwater on my Antietam->Gettysburg->Syracuse roadtrip 7 or 8 years ago. You're right, it's worth a look.

I'm a big fan of the so-called "New York Five", and when I went to Denver three years ago I made a point of visiting their downtown public library solely because it was designed by Michael Graves (http://denverlibrary.org/about/art/graves2.html).

Edit: I had forgotten until I googled Graves to obtain the above link, but he did the Humana (http://www.michaelgraves.com/mga.htm) building in Louisville

Good stuff, gerntz.

BTW - my old roomie is damn talented himself - probably the most creative person I've ever known, so I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see him considered as a "star" in the field someday.

[Will Lavender]

Would love to see it.

I was at a book fair recently where I sat on a panel with a husband and wife team. Their book was called Death in a Prairie House, and it's about the Taliesin murders. Very interesting folks--even though they were UNC-Chapel Hill professors. :icon_mrgreen:

Turns out, Mr. Wright led an extremely sordid life. I didn't know anything about him before I read the book. Highly recommended if you like architecture or sordid true crime tales.

[gerntz]

My old roomie is a UK College of Architecture grad (currently working in San Francisco with his UK architect wife), and there were always photos and books laying around the house when we lived together, so I'm a bit of a FLW geek, too. I stopped and visited Fallingwater on my Antietam->Gettysburg->Syracuse roadtrip 7 or 8 years ago. You're right, it's worth a look.

I'm a big fan of the so-called "New York Five", and when I went to Denver three years ago I made a point of visiting their downtown public library solely because it was designed by Michael Graves (http://denverlibrary.org/about/art/graves2.html).

Edit: I had forgotten until I googled Graves to obtain the above link, but he did the Humana (http://www.michaelgraves.com/mga.htm) building in Louisville

Good stuff, gerntz.

BTW - my old roomie is damn talented himself - probably the most creative person I've ever known, so I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see him considered as a "star" in the field someday.

Gettysburg is a great site. Devil's Den & te Round Tops. I expected to still see dried blood in DD. Hard to believe Pickett got his MEN to attack uphill across that open field. Ducks on the pond they were. What a waste.

Nothing tops Fredericksburg though. Union martyrs trying to climb a near shear wall against the Reb defenders.

Haven't been to Antietam, but now I want to go. Just learned my g-g-grandpa fought there before dying at the Battle of Piedmont. We're there now trying to find his grave. High likelihood it's unmarked.

[gerntz]

"Turns out, Mr. Wright led an extremely sordid life."

I could make a political comment on that, but it's the wrong forum - dang it.

[UedK]

http://users.fmg.uva.nl/lwaldorp/VS/Us_in_US_vacation/fallingwater1.jpg

When you pop through the woods and get this classic view you are immediately taken. My two, then 16 and 13 year old, sons and my wife and I were mesmerized. The tour is so personal and the house is so intimate it is well worth the trip.

Yes, the Kaufman family, (Department Stores) certainly played a hand in allowing FLW to create one of America's Architectural Treasurers. It is said they wanted the house set near this photo so they could have a view of the falls. Wright kept them in the dark until it was late in the design process and then he sold them on the radical idea of FallingWater.

Dovetailing this with Gettysburg and a trip to the Pennsylvania Amish Countryside was for us a great several days.

[UedK]

Would love to see it.

I was at a book fair recently where I sat on a panel with a husband and wife team. Their book was called Death in a Prairie House, and it's about the Taliesin murders. Very interesting folks--even though they were UNC-Chapel Hill professors. :icon_mrgreen:

Turns out, Mr. Wright led an extremely sordid life. I didn't know anything about him before I read the book. Highly recommended if you like architecture or sordid true crime tales.

Our history of Architecture professor was a 'very-close' acquaintance of Wright's during his young and wild life. My friends an I did a multi-media presentation on the Man and capped it off with S & G's 'So Long Frank Loyd Wright'. At the end she was balling like a baby. We aced the class.

BTW Gerntz, great post and subject.

[capcat]

http://users.fmg.uva.nl/lwaldorp/VS/Us_in_US_vacation/fallingwater1.jpg

When you pop through the woods and get this classic view you are immediately taken.
That is heaven to me.

[gerntz]

http://users.fmg.uva.nl/lwaldorp/VS/Us_in_US_vacation/fallingwater1.jpg

When you pop through the woods and get this classic view you are immediately taken. My two, then 16 and 13 year old, sons and my wife and I were mesmerized. The tour is so personal and the house is so intimate it is well worth the trip.

Yes, the Kaufman family, (Department Stores) certainly played a hand in allowing FLW to create one of America's Architectural Treasurers. It is said they wanted the house set near this photo so they could have a view of the falls. Wright kept them in the dark until it was late in the design process and then he sold them on the radical idea of FallingWater.

Dovetailing this with Gettysburg and a trip to the Pennsylvania Amish Countryside was for us a great several days.

You better describe the tour feel than I. Dead on.

Yes, the K's originally wanted the house below the two falls so they could view them all the time. You can see the upper falls from above from the open "balconies".

[gerntz]

As expected, no luck finding his marked grave. Staunton National Cemetery (tiny) has about 700-800 Union Civil War graves but only about 250 are marked, the rest unknown. Many have two, even three bodies in them. They collected bodies previously buried at the battlefield (about 7 miles away) in various locations as well as bodies from other fighting and brought them altogether there (Union lost "only" ~150 in the battle.). Most of the marked graves are of soldiers wounded, brought to hospital, and later died of their wounds. Two from his regiment are marked with death dates days/weeks after the battle. He was killed instantly with a shot to the head, so no doubt was buried near where he fell.

Can't be sure he's in SNC since bodies have been found over the years by farmers of the battlefield site, but it's odds on he's here.

Headed over to Monticello today.

[oruacat2]

Check this out -

I'm planning my August trip (WI and MN) and evidently there's a one-of-a-kind gas station (http://www.geocities.com/soho/1469/flwgas.html) which was designed by FLW. If it's along my route, maybe I'll snap a pic for you guys.

KD

[gerntz]

Check this out -

I'm planning my August trip (WI and MN) and evidently there's a one-of-a-kind gas station (http://www.geocities.com/soho/1469/flwgas.html) which was designed by FLW. If it's along my route, maybe I'll snap a pic for you guys.

KD


Did he do any DQ's?

SInce you'll be in WI, you might try the SC Johnson HQ building. The pictures I've seen are gorgeous.

[The Old School JPS]

I've never seen Fallingwater but I enjoy seeing two of FLW's works in Kentucky: Kaden Tower in Louisville (I love the interior although the exterior gets most of the attention) and the house in Frankfort.

Has anyone here toured the inside of the FLW house in Frankfort?

[gerntz]

CBS morning show did a piece on fw this a.m.

[BrassowFan]

I went to Fallingwater today and it's absolutely incredible! It's well worth the drive and would suggest making a weekend of it, there's wonderful rafting, golf courses, and resorts in the area.

I will definitely be making a trip back to PA within the next year!

[Dwight Schrute]

I've never seen Fallingwater but I enjoy seeing two of FLW's works in Kentucky: Kaden Tower in Louisville (I love the interior although the exterior gets most of the attention) and the house in Frankfort.

Has anyone here toured the inside of the FLW house in Frankfort?

I thought the Kaden Tower was designed by one of FLW's students, and not the man himself.

I could be wrong, though.

[The Old School JPS]

I thought the Kaden Tower was designed by one of FLW's students, and not the man himself.

I could be wrong, though.

Kind of both, I think - Wright designed a never built hotel in India like that, with the lattice work to keep the sun out and heat down. Then one of his colleagues used the design for Kaden Tower. I think that's right.

[BrassowFan]

I thought the Kaden Tower was designed by one of FLW's students, and not the man himself.

I could be wrong, though.

I think you're right, if my memory serves, it was designed by a guy named Peters who was his assistant (and possibly related to FLW).