MILL RUN, Pennsylvania — The Laurel Highlands make up one of Pennsylvania's most beautiful areas in autumn.
Look closely, though, among the rushing water of the Bear Run and the changing leaves, and you will see one of the nation's great architectural masterpieces.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater has been called the "best all-time work of American architecture" by the American Institute of Architects, and just looking at it from a distance, you can see why, sitting in this remote rural location.
In the mid-1930s, department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann contacted Wright about building this masterpiece just below a waterfall. Wright had a different idea. He wanted to incorporate the waterfall into the house's design — and the rest was history.
Ashley Andrykovitch is the senior director and curator of education at Fallingwater.
"We're in a very remote and rural location," Andrykovitch said. "The Kaufmann family, they were using this site as a vacation destination long before Fallingwater was constructed, so they actually use this site as a vacation camp, a summer camp for their department store employees, and the Kaufmann's department store employees could invite their families to stay a week at the summer camp.
Andrykovitch said part of Wright's philosophy was not just designing in harmony with nature, but also in harmony with the client.
"And he knew that the Kaufmanns really liked to spend time outdoors when they were here at Bear Run," Andrykovitch said. "So this feature makes sense specifically because the clients where the Kaufmanns."
It was and is a beautiful place, that literally celebrates all four seasons by focusing on what is outside this beautiful house.
"It also creates some nice wind movement and air flow through the house, too," Andrykovitch said. "The whole time you're indoors at Fallingwater, your attention is being pulled back outside, and you're almost made to want to go outside. And that was designed specifically for the Kaufmanns."
Chuck's Big Adventure in Pennsylvania: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater
The house has one of America's great views, but it was not what the homeowner even wanted!
"In the Kauffmann’s commission, this project from throughout with Frank Lloyd Wright, they thought that the cabin would be designed where we are standing looking back at the waterfall," Andrykovitch said.
From a hatch and stairwell that take you right into the outside pool to the spectacular year-round views and revolutionary furniture design, Fallingwater is so unique, so out-of-the-box and so beautiful that it has been honored by architects around the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"The fact that it's hovering above a waterfall is a crazy idea, and it's come to life here, and we can come here and experience it ourselves and appreciate it, but also it's a house that's designed to bring people closer to nature," Andrykovitch said. "I think that that is something that I hear our visitors talk about, is how good it feels to be here, and to be in harmony with the outdoors and to spend time immersed in nature."
Andrykovitch said thousands visit the home every year, and planning ahead is a must. The house is 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, and visitors need to plan about two to three hours for the visit, plus the time it takes to get here. She recommends buying tickets in advance.
Fallingwater is a unique place and on a bucket list for anyone who loves architecture. Stroll the area, see the home from the outside and inside, and find a little peace for your soul.
And if one home is not enough, drive just a few minutes and you’ll be at Wright’s Kentuck Knob. The uniquely-designed home blends into the landscape and offers incredible views of the natural beauty all around.
Both homes are situated near the picturesque town of Ohiopyle, recently named the No. 1 small town in the northeast by USA Today.