Summary
A Journey to Fallingwater
On a reunion trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Andrew Sessa and his brother discover unexpected surprises and a sense of familiarity inside the building’s iconic walls.
First Impressions of the Architecture
You can hear Fallingwater long before you see it. Given the house’s name and its position above a rushing stream, this comes as little surprise, yet it remains a captivating experience. Traveling to this Pennsylvania home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright with my architect brother Ben, we had dreamed of making this pilgrimage since childhood.
As we approached, the sound of the brook bubbled up the curving, tree-shrouded driveway, delivering our first glimpse of the masterpiece—just as Wright intended. This slow reveal mirrors the experience of Edgar J. Kaufmann, the retail tycoon who commissioned the home upon its completion in 1937.
Upon arriving at the house, it was almost unrecognizable, even for an admirer like me. Ben and I found ourselves disoriented by the masterpiece that we had thought we knew so well from photographs. In various images, the building appears to teeter and tower, its terraces pinwheeling dramatically outward. However, when seen through the trees, Fallingwater initially looks long and low, hunkering down into the hillside.
Wright cleverly concealed the optimal view early on, a design choice echoed by the curators who have maintained the home since it became a museum in 1964.
Family Reunion and Reflections
Amid delays caused by life changes and the pandemic, Ben and I finally reunited at the Pittsburgh airport. We hadn’t seen each other much since the onset of the global crisis, making this trip all the more significant.
As we drove through rolling hills and forests, engaging in heartfelt conversations about parenthood and the origins of our interest in Wright, it became clear how influential his work had been in our lives. Whether it was visits to the Guggenheim Museum or representations of his designs on everyday items, our appreciation had been absorbed over time.
Architectural Details and Insights
Upon entering the home, I felt a sudden sense of intimacy as one of Wright’s signature cavelike foyers enveloped us. The stone walls and low ceilings created a compressed feeling, guiding our eyes outward to the nature surrounding us.
In the open-plan living and dining room, we experienced more space but were still met with low ceilings—an intentional design by Wright to draw attention to the natural beauty outside, rather than the architecture itself. We were captivated by the way the building interconnected with the landscape, with features that turned elements like window muntins into display shelves and railings into planters.
These architectural details reinvigorated cherished memories of our childhood visits to house museums, where we had marveled at the connections between how people decorated their homes and how they lived.
Discovering the Hidden Overlook
Following our tour, Ben and I ventured downstream to a hidden overlook, revealing the iconic view of Fallingwater from the base of the falls—just as we had envisioned.
This vantage point offered a rare glimpse of Wright’s incredible design and allowed us to appreciate how the building serves as a living organism, infused with the personality of the family that called it home.
Conclusion: Lasting Relationships
Reflecting on our visit to Fallingwater stirred feelings of nostalgia, especially as we think about the childhood home that our parents sold not long before the pandemic. I wished that our home could have been preserved, enabling future generations to understand their family stories through the places significant to their history.
Ultimately, while our homes serve as important markers in our lives, the relationships and experiences shared within them carry even greater significance. As we drove back to the airport, I reflected on what my favorite part of the trip was, and it echoed Ben’s sentiments: it was the time spent together.
A version of this story first appeared in the November 2022 issue of GoTravelDaily under the headline “Home and Away”.
