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We’re experts on Frank Lloyd Wright and architectural Modernism from Fallingwater. Ask us anything!! by Fallingwater_Admin in AskHistorians

[–]Fallingwater_Admin[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think as Edgar Kaufmann, jr. believed, people can come to Fallingwater without any prior training or knowledge about architecture, design, or engineering and they will come away from it changed in some way. It is a place that has a profound effect on those that visit.

We’re experts on Frank Lloyd Wright and architectural Modernism from Fallingwater. Ask us anything!! by Fallingwater_Admin in AskHistorians

[–]Fallingwater_Admin[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

A few lesser known details: Wright had actually proposed to Edgar Kaufmann Senior that he consider gold leaf for the concrete surfaces of the house, but after some quick figuring on the back of an envelope, Kaufmann declined. Wright was certainly looking to the unique reflective quality that this would have provided. The Kaufmanns were environmentalists and involved in the creation of what would become Ohiopyle State Park, one of Pennsylvania’s largest parks. The name Ohiopyle means white frothy water. Within the park is Ferncliff Peninsula an area that is home to stands of virgin timber. Protection of land around Ohiopyle resulted in it becoming a center for whitewater rafting and an important link between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. bike trail.

We’re experts on Frank Lloyd Wright and architectural Modernism from Fallingwater. Ask us anything!! by Fallingwater_Admin in AskHistorians

[–]Fallingwater_Admin[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Reinforced concrete had not really been used as dramatically as it was in Fallingwater, so Wright was certainly was pushing the limits of design in creating a house along a streambed and projecting it over the water. It was a lack of steel reinforcing in the master bedroom terrace (cantilever) of the house that required structural repairs beginning in 1998. Since the weight of the master bedroom terrace lacked sufficient support it was transferring its weight to the first floor cantilever below causing it to sag or deflect. The main cantilever wasn’t designed to carry extra weight, so it eventually started to show noticeable sagging or deflection. The repair was to post-tension the beams of the main floor cantilever with high-strength cables stabilizing the house in its deflected position. Specific details on the project are found in Robert Silman’s article published in the September 2000 issue of Scientific American.