Fallingwater - House for Edgar J. Kaufmann
Waterfall, the name given to the house by its architect - Frank Lloyd Wright, is undoubtedly the most famous modern residential house in the world. Every year, it is visited by over 75,000 people. The house is located deep in the woods on the banks of the mountain stream Bear Run in southwestern Pennsylvania.
In 1935, when the Great Depression was ending in America, Frank Lloyd Wright was already 68 years old. He had practiced for 43 years and designed hundreds of buildings, including the famous prairie-style villas. He worked in Wisconsin, where he built his home and studio Taliesin, a manifesto of his architectural philosophy. In Taliesin, he established the Taliesin Fellowship in 1932, a unique form of architecture school. One of his students was a young man, Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., who joined Taliesin in 1934. His father, Edgar Kaufmann, was one of the founders of Kaufmann's Department Store in Pittsburgh, a giant men's clothing store.
When the Kaufmann parents visited their son at the end of 1934, Kaufmann Sr. arranged for cooperation with Wright on several projects, including a family vacation home to replace the existing temporary wooden cabin. When Wright visited the site on the banks of Bear Run, he was captivated. The Kaufmanns owned a vast area around Bear Run creek, having established a recreational center for their employees here in 1913 after acquiring a majority stake in the company. They later purchased an additional 1914 acres upstream.
Wright carefully surveyed the site and returned to Taliesin. For the next 9 months, he thought about the project without a single sketch. As he often said, "Until I know what I am going to draw, I do not draw." His draftsmen - Bob Mosher and Edgar Tafel - recall how one Sunday the phone rang at Taliesin and Edgar Kaufmann was on the other end in Milwaukee, informing Wright of his intention to visit him and see how the work on the Waterfall project was progressing. Wright calmly stated that Kaufmann should come by, as the plans were already ready. However, not a single sketch existed. Wright let the Waterfall mature in his thoughts until the last possible moment and then drew it in two hours. He began with the floor plans, sketching on one sheet, always in a different color for each floor, then drew the section and finally the southern elevation of the house and waterfall. The drawings seemed somewhat rough to Kaufmann; nevertheless, the foundation of the most famous house was laid.
Initially, the builder was concerned about the house hovering above the waterfall, but Wright convinced him: "You want to live with the waterfall, not just have a view of it; the waterfall will become a part of your house." Wright opted for a close relationship between the house and the waterfall, with its endless roar, and it was the right choice. Construction could begin.
The Waterfall showcased Wright's construction thinking; the anti-gravity reinforced concrete terraces fly over the waterfall, and the stone walls pull the entire composition back to the rock. Wright arrived at the final form of the house based on his previous projects; it was not a revelation but rather Wright's genius in combining his previously established thoughts into a unique result in the Waterfall. It also shows that architecture is primarily a journey. Asymmetry, contrast, proportion, continuity, nature - these are the main features of the house.
Functionally, the Waterfall belongs to luxury weekend estates. The spacious living room with a fireplace and penetrating rock mass - the heart of the entire house - enchants entire generations of architects. Stairs leading directly into the stream, glazing without vertical posts, and other Wright's finesse enhance the atmosphere of the work.
In 1935, when the Great Depression was ending in America, Frank Lloyd Wright was already 68 years old. He had practiced for 43 years and designed hundreds of buildings, including the famous prairie-style villas. He worked in Wisconsin, where he built his home and studio Taliesin, a manifesto of his architectural philosophy. In Taliesin, he established the Taliesin Fellowship in 1932, a unique form of architecture school. One of his students was a young man, Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., who joined Taliesin in 1934. His father, Edgar Kaufmann, was one of the founders of Kaufmann's Department Store in Pittsburgh, a giant men's clothing store.
When the Kaufmann parents visited their son at the end of 1934, Kaufmann Sr. arranged for cooperation with Wright on several projects, including a family vacation home to replace the existing temporary wooden cabin. When Wright visited the site on the banks of Bear Run, he was captivated. The Kaufmanns owned a vast area around Bear Run creek, having established a recreational center for their employees here in 1913 after acquiring a majority stake in the company. They later purchased an additional 1914 acres upstream.
Wright carefully surveyed the site and returned to Taliesin. For the next 9 months, he thought about the project without a single sketch. As he often said, "Until I know what I am going to draw, I do not draw." His draftsmen - Bob Mosher and Edgar Tafel - recall how one Sunday the phone rang at Taliesin and Edgar Kaufmann was on the other end in Milwaukee, informing Wright of his intention to visit him and see how the work on the Waterfall project was progressing. Wright calmly stated that Kaufmann should come by, as the plans were already ready. However, not a single sketch existed. Wright let the Waterfall mature in his thoughts until the last possible moment and then drew it in two hours. He began with the floor plans, sketching on one sheet, always in a different color for each floor, then drew the section and finally the southern elevation of the house and waterfall. The drawings seemed somewhat rough to Kaufmann; nevertheless, the foundation of the most famous house was laid.
Initially, the builder was concerned about the house hovering above the waterfall, but Wright convinced him: "You want to live with the waterfall, not just have a view of it; the waterfall will become a part of your house." Wright opted for a close relationship between the house and the waterfall, with its endless roar, and it was the right choice. Construction could begin.
The Waterfall showcased Wright's construction thinking; the anti-gravity reinforced concrete terraces fly over the waterfall, and the stone walls pull the entire composition back to the rock. Wright arrived at the final form of the house based on his previous projects; it was not a revelation but rather Wright's genius in combining his previously established thoughts into a unique result in the Waterfall. It also shows that architecture is primarily a journey. Asymmetry, contrast, proportion, continuity, nature - these are the main features of the house.
Functionally, the Waterfall belongs to luxury weekend estates. The spacious living room with a fireplace and penetrating rock mass - the heart of the entire house - enchants entire generations of architects. Stairs leading directly into the stream, glazing without vertical posts, and other Wright's finesse enhance the atmosphere of the work.
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