Fallingwater and Western Pennsylvania

Fallingwater and Western Pennsylvania

Fallingwater is the famous Frank Lloyd Wright home, and it is a marvelous motorcycle destination for two reasons: The site itself, and the riding in western Pennsylvania.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater as a vacation home for Pittsburgh’s wealthy Edgar Kaufmann family in the 1930s. The Kaufmanns wanted a unique architectural achievement that would blend seamlessly with the natural materials and terrain of the Allegheny Mountains. Wright designed a home that straddled Bear Run, a local stream in an Appalachian ravine. For much of the construction, Wright used the surrounding Laurel Highlands’ sandstone rock. He also designed the interior furnishings and decor utilizing the area’s natural materials. The result is an architectural masterpiece.

Several decades ago, the Kaufmann family turned the estate over to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and it is now open to the public. You can’t just show up at Fallingwater and expect to get in, though. Visits are by reservation only and you have to pay for your tickets in advance. But trust me, it will be money well spent. Fallingwater was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019, it is a National Historic Landmark and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Treasure, and the American Institute of Architects named it the best all-time work of American Architecture.

When we entered Fallingwater, we were surprised at how small the home’s passageways leading from one room to another were. Wright did this to convey a feeling of compression and decompression as one moves throughout the home. As mentioned above, both the building and the interior furnishings are made of local stone and wood, and it all comes together well. Our tour guide told us that Mr. Kaufmann was disappointed in the small desk Wright designed for him, located in a corner of one of the rooms, and he asked Wright to make it larger. Wright acceded to the request when Kaufmann explained it would be difficult to write those big checks for Wright’s fees on such a tiny desk.

Like the architecture, the ride to Fallingwater is a masterpiece, and like fine wines, the roads are better savored rather than gulped. Fallingwater is in the Appalachians about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It is a mountainous region consisting of plateaus, gorges, steep hills, and tributaries bordering the Youghiogheny River. Any of the numbered roads (Routes 381, 653, 711, and more) are marvelous, meandering, and curvy creations, laid out by highway designers whose civil engineering talents rival Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural skills. Other great roads in this area are adorned with names like Bear Run Road, Mill Run Road, Maple Summit Road, and more. Any time but the dead of winter makes for a great ride. If you time your visit to catch the autumn colors changing, it is even better. Fall is one of the best times; the leaves turning red, amber, and yellow add further delectability to what is already a delicious ride. The trick is to do it late enough in the year that the leaves are turning colors, but not so late that the temperatures are too low or the roads too icy. We were lucky; our timing was perfect.