Two years ago, I traveled to Mill Run, PA with my friend Donna to visit Fallingwater, an amazing home by Frank Lloyd Wright, built for the Kaufmann family. The Kaufmanns owned a department store of the same name and liked to spend weekend in the countryside, away from the hustle and bustle of Pittsburgh. Frank Lloyd Wright is probably America’s most famous architect. He designed the house and built it in the latter part of the 1930s.
I’d always wanted to visit this home. Thankfully it’s a National Historic Landmark and is safe from demolition, unlike a lot of Mid-Century Modern architecture (including other houses by Wright). Who would tear down an amazing piece of history–art you can live in?
The multilevel home is long and linear and seems to float over the falls. Inside, it’s exquisite, yet unassuming. The ceilings are low and the rooms are open. Light floods in and it’s hard to tell where the walls stop and nature begins. That was the idea: To bring nature in and enjoy living with the falls.
The Kaufmanns were world travellers. They collected art from all over the world and the decor in the house reflects their eclectic style. You might see a modern Picasso painting in one room, a 200-year-old Persian rug in another, and a 15th Century Madonna statue in yet another.
Donna and I drove from my parent’s house in Cambridge, Ontario through Buffalo, NY and on to Pittsburgh. After a fun weekend traipsing though galleries and shopping districts, we made the two-hour drive to Fallingwater. We wandered through the house and grounds on a guided tour, snapping shot after shot of iconic art, furniture, and the architecture that we’d only read about in university. It was an amazing experience.
The department store is now a Macy’s, and the Kaufmanns are long gone, but their legacy, and the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, will live on in the woods in Mill Run, PA. If you ever get a chance to visit, you won’t regret it.
jeanofalltrades 
I love that you said seeing this house was an experience. I am always so moved by FLW’s designs, and hope to experience Fallingwater myself someday.
It really was! I was giddy like a kid at Disneyland. What an experience! I do hope you get to go someday. Rumor has it there’s a FLW house in Sammamish. Wanna help me find it?
Ab-so-lutely!!!
WOW!!! I’ve known about Frank Lloyd Wright since I was a kid, so I’ve read various and sundry things (some not so great about his personality that I read more about when he was an adult) – but with all the pic’ I’ve ever seen, I’ve never seen one that wasn’t actually taken by, you know, John X paid photographer for Y Magazine — and that’s why ur pictures are very stunning and meaningful to me! They’re just more – personalized … and I thank you for sharing them!!!
Thanks for sharing these! I’ve been curious about that home. What a cool place!
I’m glad you like the post! It was a great experience. Despite the size, it was quite liveable–except for the kitchen. It was a bout a 10×10 room. Just for the staff to cook in and serve food in the dining room. Kitchens are main rooms now, but in the 30s they must have been purely functional.
I’m glad you like the personal touch. I took over 100 pictures so it was hard to narrow it down for this post.
I struggle too sometimes with the life of the person and the art they create. I love FLWs work, but have read less than positive things about his personal life. I need to separate the art from the artist or I might not like a lot of art!