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vajeep · 05-13-2006, 08:02 AM

Has any one visited "Fallingwater" the house designed by Frank Loyd Wright? Mill Run PA looks like a great area..

We are passing by on our way to the Tin Can Tourist Rally and may want to spend the night in the area...
Any suggestions for the area will be appreciated

ZoominC6 · 05-13-2006, 08:55 AM

Abe,
If you do that without us, we'll be so jealous. I've loved that house ever since I first learned of it as a young architecture student. We've been to quite a bit of his work in Illinois and California but not Falling Water. If you go, take lots of pictures to share with us next month. If memory serves me correctly, I believe they may have recently completed restoration of Falling Water.

wkerfoot · 05-13-2006, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vajeep

Has any one visited "Fallingwater" the house designed by Frank Loyd Wright? Mill Run PA looks like a great area..

We are passing by on our way to the Tin Can Tourist Rally and may want to spend the night in the area...
Any suggestions for the area will be appreciated

Abe,

We visited for a couple of hours in May, 2002. The house was under major rehab with scaffolding outside. There is an admission charge to the park and an additional fee for a tour of the interior of the house. A very nice visitor center and you can walk down a path on the stream side of the house. Very interesting, especially the history of the construction.

Bill

2airishuman · 05-13-2006, 10:54 AM

fallingwater is an amazing house and experience... in any season.

i've visited for full days in the 70s, 80s and 90s....
and there was always some restoration or repairs going on.....
seems there were some 'build issues' with this house

this most recent 'major renovation' was supposted to finally be the one...and since the pbs pieces on frankie boy.....interest and visitation has greatly increased...so some changes were made to tolerate the larger numbers of people...

regardless i have so enjoyed this place so much,
that any trip nearby includes a visit...

as for the airstream....look for any rv park within an hour or 2. unless they have widened the road in the last 10 years....there really isn't a place for trailers that i'm aware of...

yes they charge for the park and the house
and the house tours are now guided and limited in time...

but still well worth it.

cheers
2air'

AgZep · 05-13-2006, 11:12 AM

If you go to Fallingwater, you must also see Kentuck Knob, which is not very far away, maybe 20 miles. You really appreciate Wright the more structures you visit.

Once you're done in PA, head to Mason City, IA and Spring Green, WI. Between those two towns, you can visit about five sites with oodles of buildings between them.

I'm pretty partial to Wright's "Usonian" homes. My particular favorite to visit is the Walter home near Cedar Rock, IA. Check out my web site for some pictures and other info:

http://www.wesandcarol.com/cedar_rock.htm

There's also a Usonian near Green Bay that you can rent, called Shwarz House.

wkerfoot · 05-13-2006, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

fallingwater is an amazing house and experience... in any season.

......

as for the airstream....look for any rv park within an hour or 2. unless they have widened the road in the last 10 years....there really isn't a place for trailers that i'm aware of...

yes they charge for the park and the house
and the house tours are now guided and limited in time...

but still well worth it.

cheers
2air'

Forgot about the narrow winding road. It is an enjoyable drive but not with a trailer.

Bill

vajeep · 05-13-2006, 02:26 PM

Thanks Guys!!
I was going to call to see about parking for the Airstream...
Has any one camped in the area?

thecatsandi · 05-13-2006, 05:47 PM

If you like things that are different It is well worth the trip. I went there twenty years ago and still remember every detail.

SilverToy · 05-30-2006, 10:41 PM

AgZep & VaJeep et al -

LOVE the thread!

I grew up in a FLW home and was/ am never more in awe than now. Every structure is simply amazing in it's own way!

Was a great experience living in the home, furniture, sconces, all that...! A very organic feel to being in it. The light was wonderfull - even so it was in an urban setting. There was an ever changing palette of light, materials, shapes, shadows, and the interior spaces altering in feeling accordingly. Night time with the lights on was cool beyond words. See above!

Then there were the tourists from ALL OVER! - even 25 years ago. CONSTANTLY walking through the yard, INTO!! the house if a door got left ajar, people climbing all over the house for this or that photo. ERG!

Still all in all - A great house! A GREAT visionary, that FLW.

Wanted to add a stop for those FLW junkies out there. Just south of Alexandria VA on the Woodlawn Plantation site (5 minutes from Mount Vernon) sits a Usonian home called Pope-Lehigh. GREAT House. It was moved there when the state wanted to bulldoze it for the land it sat on - RT 66 to Dulles had to go somewhere.

The house is something like 1600-1800SqFt. but it is simply splendid. Compact like AS's. All the utilities/ cooking/ bath was concentrated in one small area. Radiant floor heating, Plywood furniture designed by the master - along with carpets and built-in bookcases all over the house. The walls are of a construction, in conjunction with concrete pillars, that several builders refused to work on it thinking is would never hold, be strong enough, or stay up. Were they ever wrong.

When it was deconstructed to move it, they found the pillars, the cantilever entry/carport, the walls and the structure to be so robust that it would likely have stood as built for many more decades.

A great house, a great spot! Woodlawn plantation is great too. 1 minute from P-L.

When the hordes are spilling out of MV and there is no parking there. Go down RT1 another 3 or 4 miles. You won't be disappointed if you like FLW.

As I recall, there is even plenty of room in the parking lot (nearly 10 years ago now! so don't quote me) for an AS. You can park under trees George Washington saw, lo those many years ago!

Thanks for the great thread and the reminders!

Axel

ZoominC6 · 05-31-2006, 05:37 AM

Axel,
Enjoyed reading your post and the tip on the FLW Usonian house near MV. We'll look that one up as we too have this thing about FLW's architecture.

85MH325 · 05-31-2006, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AgZep

Once you're done in PA, head to Mason City, IA and Spring Green, WI. Between those two towns, you can visit about five sites with oodles of buildings between them.

I'm pretty partial to Wright's "Usonian" homes. My particular favorite to visit is the Walter home near Cedar Rock, IA. Check out my web site for some pictures and other info:

http://www.wesandcarol.com/cedar_rock.htm

We are fortunate to live about 40 miles from Cedar Rock. It is one of my favorite structures in the world, and definately one of Wright's crown jewels. I've been to Talisien, outside Spring Green, and visited a number of Wright's other works in a variety of locations (including Mason City and Spring Green of course). I have yet to see Falling Water, but aside from it if you only get to visit one Usonian house in your lifetime, Cedar Rock should be the one to visit.

Roger

SilverToy · 05-31-2006, 11:22 PM

Roger -

Cedar Rock even sounds nice. Town of origin please - Iowa obviously.

Won't I look silly if it's Cedar Rock IA?! Guess I should know more than I do...

Will put it on the itinerary list for sure...!!!!

Thanks!

Axel

85MH325 · 06-01-2006, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverToy

Roger -

Cedar Rock even sounds nice. Town of origin please - Iowa obviously.

Won't I look silly if it's Cedar Rock IA?! Guess I should know more than I do...

Will put it on the itinerary list for sure...!!!!

Thanks!

Axel

You're OK, Axel... the nearest town is Quasqueton, IA and is just a few miles south of Independence IA, between Cedar Rapids and Independence. Aren't you glad you asked?

It's pronounced "Kwas-kwee-ton". And I lied... we live about 70 miles from Cedar Rock... not 40... geez...

ZoominC6 · 06-01-2006, 06:57 AM

Should anyone desire up to date information about this historic masterpiece, you can find it at;

www.paconserve.org

cameront120 · 06-01-2006, 08:54 AM

I'd love to see Falling Water. As an Architecture student at WSU, we were a bit far removed from much of his work. Most of what we saw came from books and slides. I've been to Talliesen West in Arizona and they did an exibit in Seattle, for which the built an Usonian house. Fascinating stuff, but FWL did not design for tall people! If your stature is over 6 feet, his furniture was uncomfortable and some ceiling heights were a touch claustrophobic! LOL!

Over59 · 06-01-2006, 01:40 PM

I believe the reconstruction is finished. Should be an amazing experience.
Great American Design Caravan anyone????

AgZep · 06-01-2006, 02:13 PM

cameront120, you are wrong about FLW furniture. It is not uncomfortable for people over six feet tall; it is uncomfortable for everyone! I once sweet-talked a curator at one of his buildings (and I won't say which one, so as to keep her out of trouble) into letting me try out one of those original high-backed chairs from the early prarie period. It was excruciatingly painful. Probably the worst chair I've ever endured, and that's including the impossibly narrow seats at the old Kabuki theaters in Tokyo.

Later in his life, he came up with furniture that feels a lot better to me. I'm particularly fond of the origami chairs as used at Taliesen West, and some of the chairs he did for Herman Miller. The FLW foundation will not allow anyone to use his plans to build repros, unless you live in an actual Wright-designed building. Too bad, because I'd love to have a set of those origami chairs in my screen porch.

ZoominC6 · 06-01-2006, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Over59

I believe the reconstruction is finished. Should be an amazing experience.
Great American Design Caravan anyone????

That could be a great trip!

Condoluminum · 06-01-2006, 03:08 PM

The restoration is complete, and the roof and windows will likely continue to leak (tour guides state Wright didn't care about engineering or leaks..) and locale is very impressive in mid-dummer when creek babbling and water falling and birds singing...

There is campground within 20 miles near Seven Springs as well.. Check out http://www.mtpinesresort.com/default.htm There may be several other state campgrounds in area, if you search on Laurel Valley and Ligonier area of Pennsylvania.

The parking lot is small, gravel and carved up with islands, and not worth trying to pull larger trailer into. Busses get special parking, but there's also a long walk down trail to get to house.. Main road that runs past the house is OK for trailers, but driveway in and parking are not RV-Friendly...

You should also definitely call and make reservations, as all visitors take escorted tour, and tours fill early. Arriving mid-day could mean no chance to see house, as you can't get past visitor center without being on a tour.

John McG

SilverToy · 06-01-2006, 05:26 PM

AgZep -

I would offer a counter-point to your statement that all FLW furniture was/is uncomfortable.

Our family had the original dining room tables ( all 3 - all out of 3"+ OAK! HEAVY!!!!!!) and the original priarie chairs that Frankie designed as well. 8 were the high backs Pararie design, and 8 were the lower back design.

They were quite comfortable for innumerable family meals as well as many larger friends & family functions. Now, I will say that they were not as comfortable as some other furniture, but then....

To me, it's like the back seat in a Ferrari convertable. Best seat in the place?, nope, but it sure beats everything else! And 'you look Mah-ve-lous!'

The furniture in Pope-Lehigh was actually very comfortable. I think I mentioned that it was the plywood furniture he created for the Usonian series.

As to the copies, there are many available. More than a few are 'exact' copies. They just can't be marketed, sold or advertised as such. Check in the back of the "American Bungalow" magazine for numerous cabinet makers that could make you whatever you desire and can pay for.

Gotta run right now. Will add more later.

Axel