Top of our list
As soon as we knew we were coming to Pittsburgh, we each put the same place at the top of our list. We’ve always loved the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and knowing that Fallingwater was in this corner of Pennsylvania, we took note and booked tickets.
It’s an hour and a half’s drive from central Pittsburgh and so it was a reasonably early start. Last night, it poured with rain and in contrast to yesterday morning, it was overcast and still rather wet.
We drove through the suburbs of the city and by coincidence, into the same area as my Hero had visited previously, as this was the home of his friend, a professor of music at the University of California in Pennsylvania. Nothing to do with the state on the west coast at all, but a different California all together!
We crossed the Monongahela river once more and drove through a very distinctive part of the country, not a million miles away from how I remembered the countryside of West Virginia. Of course, we were not a million miles away from the border in this corner of the state.
Watching the landscape pass me by, I observed a distinctly male-oriented world out there, filled with car and truck-related businesses, small engineering companies, sex shops and fast food outlets. The places we drove past appeared down at heel and rather scruffy. For quite some time we passed nothing with any interest or reference to women at all - except for one, single mention: “Mammograms on Saturday” !!
Most of the advertising along the way was targeted at a specific audience I’d say.
As we climbed higher, there was snow on the ground and it felt much colder.
We anticipated a light dusting of snow but the low cloud was something we could do without.
Thankfully, we were almost there.
We exchanged our receipt for our tickets, which were stapled to a list of instructions. We’d already noted there were a few rules and regs to follow and sure enough, here they all were.
Just don’t. That’s all!
But look at that logo! Simple but so clever - three levels, a central core, a chimney and a waterfall. I love it.
We left almost everything in the car, though I stuffed my camera in my pocket. I knew we couldn’t take photos inside, but perhaps there’d be a chance to take one of the outside?
We met our guide Don on the bridge by the entrance to the house, a five minute walk down the path from the visitor centre. We were a group of fifteen people and we were to have a one hour guided tour. Don began by “reminding” us of the rules with a list of don’ts….
He explained how Mr & Mrs Kaufmann, department store owners from Pittsburgh had owned a holiday cottage here in Bear Run, by the stream. They loved to hike and fish and loved the outdoors so commissioned a more substantial weekend cottage from FLW which would, in some way, allow them to enjoy their favourite spot in the forest; a small waterfall.
During the hour we were in his company, Don explained that it had taken FLW just three hours to come up with the design for the house which was built into the hillside and embraced the natural features as much as possible. He explained the concept of cantilever, of rebar-strengthened concrete and many of the familiar design features of a FLW home that we’d come across in other examples of his work here and there: the low ceilings, the compress/release principles that lead one through the house, the colour palette and the use of just three main materials.
The interiors are as stunning as the exterior - when Don had finished our tour, he explained how to reach the viewpoint from where to take the classic photograph and here it is. We stood for a while admiring the view, enjoying the slightly drippy atmosphere (which brought our visit to Nikko to mind, with its link to FLW as an added bonus!) and feeling thankful to have seen this glorious place for real.
There are many other photographs and short videos online too - like here.
Having completed our tour, we headed for a second, rather different Frank Lloyd Wright home. This one is a little smaller, less spectacular but equally interesting.
The I N Hagan house at Kentuck Knob was one of several more FLW homes in the area and the one we chose to visit as a result of what we had read.
Built on the side of a rounded hill (Kentuck Knob) there are similar photographic restrictions as at Fallingwater, so we’ll rely on those photos in our mind, but thankful of a reminder here . Now owned by Peter Palumbo it has been restored with original furnishings, including some which the Hagans had replaced during their life here.
Whilst nothing like as spectacular, inside or out as Fallingwater, we were really pleased to have visited and the views of the forest outside were rather lovely.
Perhaps not quite as lovely as the view of the river valley and surrounding countryside which Mrs Hagan had hoped for from her house. FLW had other ideas, however and insisted that “his” house must be built below the summit and into the hillside. The clients simply did as they were told - most of the time, at least!
From here, it was a downhill drive back to the city, at times along roads which were rather like road trip journeys!
Some even came with warnings.
This evening, we’re back in the city again after a fabulous day. The rain has stopped and for a brief moment the sun came out. The forecast is good for tomorrow, when another adventure is planned. Quite how it could top this one, however, remains to be seen.
