Tucked away in the southwestern Pennsylvania forest sits one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most notable buildings, which marked the start of the architect's remarkable second act.
Wright was born June 8, 1867, and he was long considered an innovative architect with buildings in Illinois, Wisconsin and several other states. But after reaching his late 50s, work slowed. The architect saw little work between 1922 and 1934. Scarce commissions during that period included block houses and the innovative but unbuilt National Life Insurance Building in Chicago.
"Before Fallingwater, he'd had only three projects in the previous 10 years," said Lynda Waggoner, director of Fallingwater and vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. "He was really thought of in the world of architecture as an elder statesman and not a player anymore. Of course, with Wright's ego, that didn't sit very well."
He turned to writing during this dry period, penning an autobiography in which he wrote of a holistic way to view life instead of focusing on work and money. The text received critical acclaim and inspired the younger generation with ideas that struck a chord during the Depression.
Wright and his wife, Olgivanna, founded an architectural school around this same time. There they established the Taliesin fellowship, an immersive apprenticeship that included elements of architecture in addition to farming and art.
Inspired by Wright's writing, the young Edgar Kaufmann Jr. applied for the apprenticeship. He was the son of a Pittsburgh department store magnate, and Wright likely saw the potential in such a relationship.
"Edgar Jr. never planned to be an architect," Waggoner said. "Taliesen took all kinds of students, the primary criterion being that they had money. Wright was very much in debt at that point. He was almost in bankruptcy."
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, center, is surrounded by apprentices at Taliesin, his estate at Spring Green, Wis., Aug. 17, 1938.
"I'm sure when Edgar Kaufmann Jr. comes to study at Taliesen, Wright knew that there was a potential client in this relationship," Waggoner added. "He knew the money was there, and knew that Edgar Kaufmann Sr. loved buildings. So at any rate, he invites the parents out and one thing leads to another."
Edgar Kaufmann Sr., a department store magnate, had corresponded with Wright years prior about a potential project. Nothing came of that request at the time. But after Wright and the Kaufmann family established a stronger relationship and visited the property, the idea for Fallingwater blossomed.
The land on Bear Run was formerly owned by the department store and used for staff retreats. After Edgar Sr. acquired the property, he wanted to build a home with a view of the waterfall. The ambitious Wright, however, convinced the Kaufmanns to build directly above the falls.
He created a design that used the natural landscape, anchoring the cantilevers to one sandstone column in the center of the house. Windows and doorways throughout the house connect the inside to the outside, and the stream serves as natural air conditioning.
"It took a lot of nerve to build this house," Waggoner said. "The engineers in Pittsburgh make fun of it. They did a drawing of the house, like a cartoon, with life rafts hanging off the terrace. They said it would never stand."
A stairway from the living room leads to the top of the waterfall at Bear Run, where the Kauffman family would take a dip in the water.
Materials for the house were sourced locally, a common trait of Wright's work because he felt it helped connect a building to a place. Fallingwater's sandstone was quarried about 500 feet from the waterfall. Glass and steel came from Pittsburgh. The fourth material, concrete, was poured on-site.
Laborers were also local, and largely untrained. Because it was the Depression, work was highly sought after. About 70 men were hired to work on Fallingwater, each paid about 25 cents an hour.
"[Wright] liked the fact that a lot of the stonemasons had never laid stone before," Waggoner said. "A stonemason would look at this stone and say, 'This is not how stone is supposed to be laid.' It's very rustic."
The project was originally budgeted for $40,000 (about $713,939 today) but cost a total of $155,000 by the time the main house and guest house addition were completed.
A cantilevered walkway leads to the guest house at Fallingwater.
To his critics' dismay, Wright and the house were on the cover of Time magazine just a couple years later, ushering in a successful second act in the last two decades of his life. Wright completed more projects after Fallingwater than he did before.
After his father's death, Edgar Jr. entrusted the property to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963. It was still considered a contemporary building, but he wanted to ensure it and the surrounding land would be preserved. Edgar Sr. had served on the conservancy's board, so the family was familiar with the organization's work.
"I think Edgar Kaufmann looked to the conservancy because what he had seen happening to Wright's buildings at that time was that some of them were being lost because the land was so valuable, or they were being built up around, or the collections were being sold off," Waggoner said.
Edgar Jr. was involved in the process of establishing Fallingwater as a museum. He wanted visitors to be able to fully experience the architecture instead of being forced through a building with roped-off rooms, and he wanted it to appear lived in with the family's own belongings. The conservancy listened to his recommendations and together established the museum as it is today.
He also involved his longtime partner, Paul Mayen, in transforming the home into a museum. Mayen, an industrial architect, built the visitors' center for Fallingwater.
The home was designated a national historic landmark in 1976. It has received more than 4.5 million visitors since opening its doors to the public.
"You don't have to be an architecture fan to appreciate Fallingwater," Waggoner said. "We all dream of living in a treehouse, and that's what it's like."
DETAILS: Tours available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1491 Mill Run Road, Mill Run. Cost: $30 for adults, $18 for youth. Children under age 6 are not allowed to tour the building. 724-329-8501. www.fallingwater.org.