Kauffman Home
1491 Mill Run Road, Mill Run
Fallingwater, Pennsylvania
Designed by: Frank Lloyd Wright
All Photos taken by: Amanda Chain
There are few architects that garner the same awe as Frank Lloyd Wright. The American icon built some of the world's most memorable homes and structures. One of the most visited and frankly most inspiring is not too far from my home, and if you have the chance to visit this fall is the time to do. Fallingwater was a
weekend second home built for the prestigious Kauffman family, known for their chic department stores around the Mid-Atlantic region. What makes Fallingwater so
remarkable is not only the incredibly setting, but the fact that is an astonishing feat of ingenuity and architectural imagination.
Could there be a more idyllic setting?
NO. When the Kauffman family
wanted to set up their weekend home, they chose a place they knew well.
Fallingwater in the 1920s was a perfect getaway from Pittsburgh, where the
family was based. It is only an hour away and a well connected town in the
scenic area of Bear Run. They frequented the lodge on the property and when the
Great Depression hit the area hard, the Kaufmanns bought the property and the
surrounding acreage. Fallingwater is in an area of Western Pennsylvania that is
now considered remote. The house takes on the features of the terrain that give
the impression this house could not be built anywhere else. Built on top of the
falls, the family could walk outside and be standing on the creek from various
points in the house. The home is built into the terrain in such a way that its
very foundation runs through a large boulder, that opens up as the family
hearth in the living and communal area. The home would simply not work in any other location that it is, as it is made bespoke to its location, selected by the Kaufmanns themselves.
Legacy and Prestige
Fallingwater has played
host to some of the most impressive people of the twentieth century including
US presidents and cultural icons. The home receives more than 128,000 visitors each year. Albert
Einstein was once said to have looked upon the house and could only react with
a meaningful silence. Fallingwater is a landmark in every sense of the word.
Not only is it a Pennsylvania state historical marker, but it is also on the
U.S. National Register of Historic Places and U.S. National Historic Landmark.
It is the paradigm of organic architecture and has made the top of just about
every architectural test and has graced every magazine since its inception. It
was named the “best all-time work of American architecture by the American
Institute of Architects in 2007. Smithsonian
added Fallingwater to their list “Life List of places to visit before you die.”
Feat of architectural imagination
Only a man with the
genius like Frank Lloyd Wright could dream up Fallingwater House. Frank Lloyd
Wright was introduced to Edgar J Kaufmann Sr. through their son, Edgar Jr., and
suggested plans for their weekend home. Everyone told Kaufmann senior that he was
an idiot to trust that Wright’s design wouldn’t fall right into the falls. He
called his engineers from the department store and they all said get out while
he still could. At that point Wright had only designed and built six buildings,
not the hundreds he would become famous for. When the Kaufrman’s brought their
budget for their summer home to Frank Lloyd Wright of about $35,000. The
project would go on to cost well over $150,000. Going over budget was also his
style. And for good reason. Wright’s designs and interiors are meticulously
planned according to four principles: organic, democratic, plasticity,
continuity. In the end he was able to defy some of the best engineers of the
day and build a home on the top of a falls through an intricate system of
cantilevering that allows the home to appear weightless and float on top of the
riverbed.
Timelessness
The Kaufmanns and their brood are long gone, and the home remains just as it did when they handed it over to the Pennsylvania Conservation Trust. However, there seems to be a feeling of enduring timelessness. When visiting with my mother she found inspiration to redecorate our family room giving me the sense that perhaps the eclectic ambiance has something for everyone that continuously inspires the inner interior designer in all of us.
For anyone that has been
to Fallingwater there is something timeless about the home. It has an elegant
style that despite the passing of decades retains a modern appeal. Part of this
is due to the customization of the building. Frank Lloyd Wright built the home custom
to the family. Everything down to the desks and the shelves were purposely
built with the Kaufmann family in mind. Frank Lloyd Wright was exceptional in
his desire to create a home that truly embodied the spirit and values of his
client, which are a testament to the Wright’s outstanding ability. The exterior
as well is organic. From the viewpoint, the house looks as if it has always been
a part of the landscape it is so compatible with its setting. Wright made sure
to quarry the stones from the Laurel Highlands area giving the home a seamless
look. Even though it was constructed during the Great Depression, it looked toward the idea of self-capability to maintain both its relevance and its durability.
The Beginning of Global Style
Owing to the timelessness
of the design has a lot to do with the interspersal of influences from around
the world. Frank Lloyd Wright had recently returned from Japan designing a
hotel at the time of designing Fallingwater, and there are clear connections to
the architectural style. The general openness of the living spaces lends itself
to a more Asiatic style. However, the furniture has a more Scandanavian feel. The
furniture, especially the reclining chair by famed designer Bruno Mathsson of
Sweden. These are then juxtaposed with pillow fabrics that with South American
and African prints. The result is a complete mixture of patterns and styles
that make the house feel globalized. At the time, the style was revolutionary
and completely unheard of. Now, it still looks incredibly innovative and still
iconic in its ability to balance so many different influences in such a
harmonious and organic way. Given the recent trending of hygge it is only a matter of time before the rest of the world adopts the coziness of the Scandanavians the way Fallingwater did in the 1930s, hopefully in time for winter!
