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All the United States Pennsylvania Mill Run Fallingwater

Fallingwater

Frank Lloyd Wright's most iconic home dangles over a Pennsylvania waterfall.

Mill Run, Pennsylvania

Added By
Matthew Clark
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Fallingwater over the falls   Carol M. Highsmith Archive at the Library of Congress
Fallingwater over the falls   Carol M. Highsmith Archive at the Library of Congress
Fallingwater in the winter   Flickr user focusc
Imagine what this would look like covered in gold leaf.   Flickr user brdonovan
Fallingwater in bloom   Flickr user brdonovan
Living Room   jpns / Atlas Obscura User
Winter at Fallingwater   jpns / Atlas Obscura User
  Jeremy Weate
  Jeremy Weate
Fountain outside the entrance   suttonIs
  Jeremy Weate
  Ian Cochrane
  elainemellis / Atlas Obscura User
  elainemellis / Atlas Obscura User
  elainemellis / Atlas Obscura User
  Bkern / Atlas Obscura User
Chinese tomb inscription in the fireplace   Ahuntley / Atlas Obscura User
  arc459 / Atlas Obscura User
Fallingwater   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Fallingwater sign   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Inside Fallingwater   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Fallingwater, or the Kaufmann Residence, is one of the most famous private homes designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935. The house was designed to protrude over a waterfall on Bear Run in the Mill Run section of Stewart Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains.

Completed at a total cost of $155,000 (including $4,500 for the home's all-walnut furnishings alone), Fallingwater instantly became an icon of American architecture. Hailed by Time magazine as Wright's "most beautiful job", it is listed among Smithsonian's Life List of 28 places "to visit before you die." Wright initially intended that the home’s concrete surfaces be coated entirely in gold leaf; for undisclosed reasons, yet that remains easy to guess, the color palate became a more sparingly practical one of light ochre and Cherokee red, supplied by locals PPG Pittsburgh Paints. 

There are many beautiful works of art around the house. You can find Picasso prints, antique Mexican ceramics, modern sculptures, and Diego Rivera paintings. There are also medieval Madonna sculptures, African sculptures, and antiquities from many different cultures, and even a giant Buddha head adorning a terrace.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966, in 1991 members of the American Institute of Architects also named the house the "best all-time work of American architecture.” In 2007, it was ranked twenty-ninth on the list of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA.

Fallingwater remains Wright's only major work open to the public with all its initial components – from furniture to original architectural features and artwork – intact and on display, accounting for the nearly 4.5 million visitors that have passed through its doors since 1964. 

When Fallingwater was first moved into by the wealthy Kauffman family as a summer house, however visionary and beautiful it was, there was a significant problem: Water kept dripping through more than 50 leaks in the ceiling. When pressed for a solution, the architect just said to "Put a bucket under it." And today, the problem continues, so they do just as Frank Lloyd Wright originally advised. 

Related Tags

Architecture Mansions Frank Lloyd Wright

Know Before You Go

Fallingwater is located in southwest Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands about 90 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. The house is located along PA Route 381 between the villages of Mill Run and Ohiopyle. It is approximately 19 miles south of the Donegal exit (Exit #91) of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) or 10 miles north of US Route 40. Inside photography is unfortunately not permitted unless you purchase a special tour package. However, be sure to bring your camera to capture the iconic shot of the house perched on top of the waterfall!

Community Contributors

Added By

clarkbhm

Edited By

littlebrumble, thomasharper, chovanec523, horticulturcat...

  • littlebrumble
  • thomasharper
  • chovanec523
  • horticulturcat
  • arteek001
  • arc459
  • jpns
  • Bkern
  • elainemellis
  • Xavixavir
  • Ahuntley

Published

March 1, 2015

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater
Fallingwater
1491 Mill Run Road
Mill Run, Pennsylvania, 15464
United States
39.906008, -79.466349
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Nearby Places

Kentuck Knob

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

miles away

General Braddock's Gravesite(s)

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miles away

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

United States

Places 417
Stories 28

Nearby Places

Kentuck Knob

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

miles away

General Braddock's Gravesite(s)

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miles away

Jumonville Glen

Farmington, Pennsylvania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

United States

Places 417
Stories 28

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