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Our membership to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy was a great excuse for a road trip to Mill Run, Pennsylvania to see the famous Frank Lloyd Wright home, Fallingwater.
Near the end of his long career, Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned as architect for this home in 1935 by the Kaufman family. The Kaufman’s were heirs to a department store empire that eventually became the Macy’s chain. They regularly escaped Pittsburgh’s notorious industrial pollution to vacation in the countryside near Mill Run.
Wright’s famed theory of architecture was to build “organically” meaning that the structures were to fit seamlessly into their environment, as if they were a part of nature. He even selected the exterior paint to match the underside of the leaves of the numerous rhododendron plants on the property.
Here at Fallingwater Wright also experimented exuberantly with cantilevers. They are everywhere - leaping over the stream, stretching from the built-in cabinets, and extending from the stone walls. Like many other Wright buildings, he also incorporated Compression and Release design – low ceilings and tight corridors which give way to rising lofts and open expanses. The effect is that you are surprised at every turn, each corner reveals another sublime view of the waterfall and surrounding woodlands.
Mill Run is tucked into the scenic foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. Our GPS selected an approach that was a challenging climb through tiny towns and winding byways, making it a lively ride in the motorhome.
There are several state parks nearby that offer camping, including the popular Ohiopyle State Park which features creek bed water slides. We opted to stay at Jellystone Mill Run camping resort for its proximity to Fallingwater.
We left camp early in the morning to catch the Sunday Brunch tour. It was a splendid ride through bucolic countryside to the Fallingwater property. Our tour lasted 2-1/2 hours, and then we were feted with a swell lunch on a terrace overlooking the stream. Another perk of this particular tour is that we were permitted to photograph the interiors, oddly prohibited in other tours.
If you are just passing through, the visitor parking lot at Fallingwater should be able to accommodate your RV. But be prepared for a lively ride to get there!
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October 18, 2023
