Frank Lloyd Wright had already established a solid reputation for himself before the 1935 commission for the Kaufmann Residence both for his talent and arrogance which eventually would make him America's most famous architect. The ingenious design would land him on the cover of Time Magazine as a special issue still circulating today, serve as a beautifully efficient summer retreat for the Kaufmann family, put him back in the game after a dry spell in his career, show the world what he truly meant by Organic Architecture, and most importantly, help to immortalize his name as one of the best architects to shape the architecture in the United States. As an architecture student I had studied the house time and again in various courses: interior design, the history of furniture and architecture, art history, survey of architecture, American Architecture, Modern Architecture, architectural theory, etc. However, nothing compares to actually stepping foot into the unique spaces that create comfortable microclimates equally unique as the views they frame and engage. Plan, section, and elevation only help to understand origination; but, they cannot capture the momentum of its monumentality. I have visited various works by Frank Lloyd Wright from Taliesin West to the Guggenheim, but Fallingwater hands-down is my favorite.
Fallingwater is more than Frank Lloyd Wright. It is more than the Kaufmann family. It is more than Bear Run. It is more than the materials that make the walls, floors, and ceilings. Fallingwater captures much more than any of the singular ingredients. It captures movements in architecture and design. It serves as a snapshot of American history. It captures the American Dream. It serves as inspiration to the aspiring architect and motivates others to appreciate the creative potential the architecture offers when nature and buildings play well together.
A quick image search on the web will instantly provide results saturated with redundant images from the same views. The images I include below attempt to show select views, moments and details that are not typically shown.
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