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The Kaufmann Conservation on Bear Run At end of June, I took a tour with the Washington, D.C. Octagon Museum to one of the most famous of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home designs, Fallingwater. Located about two hours from Pittsburgh and four hours from Washington, Fallingwater is situated on boulders and over a waterfall deep in the forest near the town of Wall, PA and the 5,000 acre Bear Run Nature Reserve. The property has been owned and operated by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy since 1964. At the time of my visit, wild Rhododendrons were in bloom throughout the deep woods. Situated well away from the house is a visitors center, the museum gift shop, childcare center (children under 9 are not allowed in the house), a cafe, and interpretive nature trail. Tours of the house last 45 minutes unless you arrange for a two hour in-depth tour as a group or by reservation at 8:30am. There is also a new outdoor tour that I have not taken. Pets and picnics are not allowed on the grounds but the staff can direct you to the facilities at the nearby Bear Run Nature Reserve.
The home is situated in such a way - wedged into the natural landscape - that as you approach, at first it appears quite small. In some ways it is small. No huge master suite and lavish baths as we’ve come to expect in the upper brackets. I had to remind myself that Fallingwater was built as a weekend retreat. My folks had one when we were growing up. It had an outside pump for water and an out house. Very rustic! Frank Lloyd Wright certainly had an “interesting” personality and from what I heard was intent on controlling his clients environment. He designed the furniture, the decorative items and in some instances even hostess gowns and linens for his patrons. He did not like to visit a home later and find that anything had been rearranged. I have referred to them as patrons as FLW frequently lived on the edge of financial disaster. Unable to control money he would call on his “friends” to bail him out of impending foreclosures and bankruptcy. Learning details of Wright's personal history added a special interest to the property and also the information presented regarding the Kaufmann family. Perhaps we’re all just paparazzi at heart! As you tour the home, it constantly amazed me as the inside and outside totally blend in a harmonious flow. Fallingwater truly lives the term “Organic Architecture”. Unfortunately we are not able to sit on the furniture (understandably) to realize the full prospective melding of the low ceilings and subsequently lower Wright designed furniture. I would highly recommend visiting Fallingwater and have a few suggestions based on my trip. Don’t drive or ride over two hours to get there. If necessary take two days so you’ll have time to explore more of this beautiful Pennsylvania countryside, shop and eat. This would also allow one to take the early morning two hour tour which I would also recommend. You walk on stone floors the entire tour, there are very few places to sit. If it is cloudy or raining the home is extremely dark. In our group two people had difficulty seeing in low light and the stairways in particular were almost impossible. In addition to the dark stone floors many of the walls are a gray fieldstone that absorbed light. The main floor of the house is wheel chair accessible but then you must view a video of the rest of the house. This is a historic home and not required to comply with the ADA. Inside there are no handrails on any stairway. They will arrange, with notice, special tours to accommodate the blind or persons with other disabilities. We did not have a problem the day I was there but am guessing that buried in the woods with a stream on the property and under the house can mean bugs. The house is not air conditioned and many doors are being opened and closed as people go in and out onto the terraces. Repellent is probably a good idea. Fallingwater - 724 329 8501 - www.paconserve.org - Entry fee
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Through our guide, we learned about the business and history of Edgar J. Kaufmann, a Pittsburgh department store owner, his wife and son. Wright designed the house in 1935 and it was completed with a guest and service wing in 1939. The Kaufmanns had previously owned a weekend cabin on the property and continued to add to their land holdings as time went on.