Fallingwater
About an hour and a half southeast of Pittsburgh is Frank Lloyd Wright's residential masterwork—a stone, concrete, and glass house dramatically cantilevered over a waterfall. In 1936, Edgar J. Kaufmann—who'd made a fortune as owner of Kaufmann's, Pittsburgh's premier department store—hired Wright to design a weekend retreat for his family on a piece of land in Mill Run. Wright's design incorporated much of what was already on the site, including rocks, trees, and a rushing creek. Battles of will between Kaufmann and Wright over the details of the house design became legendary. Wright wanted to cover the concrete parapets of the house with gold leaf; Kaufmann didn't. Kaufmann wanted a swimming pool on one of the balconies; Wright didn't. And so on. Despite their many differences, they produced an amazing house. The only way to see the house is on a guided tour; children under six cannot tour the house. Reservations are essential for the detailed tour.
