Last weekend, Jim and I visited the famous Fallingwater house, designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kauffman family in 1939. I promised myself I would write a better description of the house since we weren’t allowed to take pictures during the tour, and I want to be able to hold an image in my mind of this lovely, magical home.
When we arrived at Fallingwater, there was an open, outdoor visitor center, where we checked in with our ticket and had time to walk around and find out more information about the house. Since we were early for our tour time, we explored the gift shop and looked at the trinkets, decorations, books, and memorabilia that were most definitely overpriced. Then we went over to the Fallingwater gallery to read about the renovations that have been done on the house to repair the crumbling structure. There were descriptions, photos and examples of the different materials that were used in the original construction as well as what is used to renovate it and make it more structurally sound. I was amazed at how much time and work has gone into the house since it was entrusted to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963. It seems like there is an exorbitant amount of work needed to be done, even now, to make sure that the house is able to remain standing and stay open to the public. I couldn’t help wondering if it might not be better to just leave it be. I’m sure that engineers today are able to construct a similar house, positioned over a waterfall, with beautiful views, and it would be structurally sound and last thousands of years. But during the course of the tour, I was shown the true beauty and significance of the house, and why it is so important to keep it intact.
Measure with Coffee Spoons 