Fallingwater
Stewart Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), this house was built in 1936 as a family retreat for Pittsburgh businessman Edgar J. Kaufmann. Widely admired for its design, it is dramatically cantilevered over a waterfall; it exemplifies Wright's desire to join architecture with nature. Edgar Kaufmann jr. presented the house to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1936, architect Frank Lloyd Wright perched this house directly over a Bear Run waterfall as a weekend retreat for Pittsburgh merchant Edgar J. Kaufmann. Its bold cantilevered terraces seem to float above the falling water, embodying Wright's belief that a building should grow from and belong to its natural setting. In 1963 the Kaufmann family gave Fallingwater to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, opening it to the public.
Why it matters
Fallingwater is one of the most celebrated works of American architecture, a landmark of design that redefined how buildings could live in harmony with the landscape.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Frank Lloyd Wright
- · Edgar J. Kaufmann
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Fallingwater - Commonwealth Treasure
Stewart Township, PA · est. 2000
With this marker the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission named Fallingwater a Commonwealth Treasure, singling it out for protection and preservation. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the mid-1930s for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh, the house famously cantilevers over a waterfall on Bear Run in the Laurel Highlands. It is widely regarded as one of the masterworks of American architecture.
Edwin S. Porter
Connellsville, PA · est. 1992
Born in Connellsville, Edwin S. Porter became one of the pioneering figures of American cinema at the dawn of the twentieth century. Working in the earliest days of the medium, he helped develop the grammar of film itself—editing, the screenplay, and narrative technique. His 1903 landmark "The Great Train Robbery" thrilled audiences and pointed the way toward modern storytelling on screen.
Meason House
North Union Township, PA · est. 1946
Rising on a hilltop in 1802, this elegant Georgian manor announced that the western Pennsylvania frontier had grown wealthy. Its builder, Isaac Meason, was a Revolutionary War veteran turned pioneering ironmaster who helped make Fayette County an early center of American iron. In 1817 at nearby Plumsock he erected one of the country's first rolling mills, an innovation that would soon transform how the nation made its iron and steel.
James Finley (1756-1828)
Uniontown, PA · est. 2008
In 1808, Uniontown's James Finley secured the first U.S. patent for a suspension bridge, and his rigid chain span over nearby Jacob's Creek proved the concept in iron and stone. Bridges built to his design soon appeared in several states, marking him as a pioneer of the modern suspension bridge. Beyond engineering, Finley served his community as a judge and a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.