Fallingwater: A Frank Lloyd Wright Pilgrimage
One day while visiting family we found ourselves near one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous architectural masterpieces, Fallingwater. This unique, picturesque house is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, tucked away in the woods surrounding the river tributary Bear Run. Knowing its fame, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pay Fallingwater a visit.
Fallingwater is found just an hour and fifteen minutes south of Pittsburgh, near a township called Mill Run. Visiting the house generally requires a tour, which can be booked online. It turns out even tourist attractions in southwest Pennsylvania are unusually popular during summer (June) and nearly all of the tours were sold out when we looked online. We managed to alter our travel plans by one day and visit Friday afternoon instead of Saturday morning, since Saturday morning was already fully booked. Switching to Friday allowed us to book one of the last spots in a 3:30 PM tour that could fit our schedule. We recommend planning your visit as far ahead as you can (the website recommends 2 weeks and 6 weeks for groups), as we nearly missed out by booking the day prior! Alas, typical us.
The tours are rather pricey, starting at $30 a piece for the 1 hour general tour, with a $2 transaction fee for each ticket. This is the tour we chose. Other tours include the 2 hour “In Depth” tours starting at $80, and 3 hour brunch or sunset tours starting at $150 where a reception with meal is included after the tour. Tour times vary with the season. When we went, tours were running every 15-30 minutes. With your ticket so long as you arrived before the last tour of the day at 4:30 PM you would be able to join a tour even if you were slightly late and missed your original tour time. Just be sure to have a ticket and arrive before the last tour of the day!
From the parking lot we walked along a wooded walkway to claim our tickets at the visitor center kiosk, a central establishment that also included a cafe, gift shop, and rest rooms. We were directed to wait for a few minutes near the exit walkway until our tour time approached. We were greeted by a nice staff volunteer who gave a brief excerpt on the house and how much he enjoyed it and then were directed further down a path and gravel road, being advised to stop once we arrived at the bridge to the house where our tour guide would find us.
Our tour group consisted of about 15 people. At the bridge we found our tour guide waiting for us and we all gathered around. He educated us on tour policies, of which the most important seemed to be that we were NOT allowed to take photographs on this tour. We were told the reason for this was so that we could concentrate on appreciating the artistry of the house, as well as not detracting from other tourists’ experiences because there isn’t enough time for everyone to take pictures. Reluctantly we holstered on cameras. If there was one thing we are good at, it’s taking lots of pictures! (quality highly variable). In hindsight, if you would like to take interior photographs of the house, you should make time for and book the “In-Depth” 2 hour tour or brunch/sunset tour as these do allow indoor photographs.
The tour started with some general information and we proceeded into the kitchen and dining area of the house. According to our tour guide, the house was built in 1935 for a businessman named Mr. Kaufmann, president of Kaufmann Department store. It took about 2 years to build and another year for the guesthouse. The dining area is home to one of the unique features of the house, a set of steps that lead down into the water of Bear Run. Of note, during our tour we did notice some construction going on which detracted from some of the exterior views of the house.
Following the kitchen and dining area we winded up and down stone lined staircases and in and out of the house onto balconies overlooking the the river and it surroundings. One of our favorite features were the corner windows Frank Lloyd Wright used in the walls of the upper floor studies. Another interesting feature were the low ceilings in the bedroom that accentuated the view outside through the windows. Our tour guide informed us that Frank Lloyd Wright liked to keep the view through windows unobstructed from the inside, and this was the case except a lone bookcase in Mr. Kaufmann’s study where Mr. Kaufmann had Wright allow him to have a bookcase in front of the window instead of split on either side.
The tour led us through the guesthouse after the main house and then ended in a garage converted into a reception room. Our tour guide and another staff member thanked us for coming. At this time you will be asked a group for any donations you are able to make as well. You do not have to donate.
After the tour finished we took a short stroll along the river edge opposite the house where there is a classic viewpoint for pictures. Here we were able to snap the photos you see on this page!
All in all the tour was a good experience We do not think that a longer tour would have suited us because we don’t typically choose guided tours unless it’s our only option. We also are glad we only spent $30 each instead of $80. However if we had the extra money, we would certainly splurge for the $150 brunch or sunset tour option because it would be really relaxing! The location is pretty in summer and we think it would great in fall foliage if you are visiting in the autumn months.
