Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob

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"Buildings, too, are children of earth and sun."
Frank Lloyd Wright

We have been interested in Frank Lloyd Wright and one of his most important creations, Fallingwater, for a very long time. On our return from Michigan this year, we stopped for a night near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, and arranged for a tour of Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob the following day. The experience of walking through the houses and seeing how each is so incredibly a part of the natural world around them was moving and helped us to understand the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright a little more.

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Fallingwater was built for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh, well known for the family department store that was an important part of Pittsburgh life. The Kaufmanns were interested in building a weekend retreat and contracted with Wright to design and build it for them. The house was completed in 1937 and it was used by the family into the 1960s. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and is part of a bid to become a World Heritage Site along with nine other Wright buildings.

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Visitor Center

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You walk down a path through the trees and as you round a corner about ¼ mile from the visitor center, this is your first view of the house.

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Bear Run, whose waterfalls play such an important part of the setting of the house.

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The path returning to the visitor center.

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After lunch at Fallingwater, we traveled a few miles to another Wright house, Kentuck Knob. It is a more modest house, but still spectacular in its conception as a part of the natural environment. The grounds of the house are filled with sculptures placed by the current owners.

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Kentuck Knob 1
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The shapes are repeated throughout the house and at least some of them represent parts of the building. The meaning of others is unknown.

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The carports, a Frank Lloyd Wright concept. He did not like garages.

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One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s signature tiles. They are not on every building.

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A short walk from the house leads to some spectacular views of the Laurel HIghlands.

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One of the owner’s sculptures created sounds that blended with the sounds of the forest.

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© Russ Milam 2017