In Fallingwater: A Frank Lloyd Wright Country House, Edgar Kaufmann Jr. The Kaufmanns moved in at the end of 1937. Wright took their request a step further and built the house on top of the waterfall. They commissioned him to build a house on the property, requesting a view of the Bear Run waterfall. Their son, Edgar Kaufmann Jr., was an apprentice at Wright’s Taliesen Fellowship, where the Edgar Sr. and his wife, Liliane, had used the property since 1916 as a modest retreat for themselves and for employees of the family department store, Kaufmann’s, based in Pittsburgh. That concept speaks for itself at Fallingwater, possibly the best-known Wright house. In one principle of organic architecture, as explained by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, “The building grows out of the landscape as naturally as any plant its relationship to the site is so unique that it would be out of place elsewhere.” Organic architecture at Fallingwater Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater courtesy GO Laurel Highlands Both exceeded my expectations, as great creations and outdoor connections. Both of these Frank Lloyd Wright homes were apt additions to my itinerary. I planned the trip with an eye toward making outdoor connections. I recently traveled to Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania, where these two homes are located. Wright’s attention to organic architecture – especially as it relates to a building’s site – shine brightly at Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob.
Though great creations can be appreciated from afar, closer examination can enhance admiration – a Picasso or Monet, the Grand Canyon, and a Frank Lloyd Wright design.