About Frank Lloyd Wright: Life and Career Residential Designs Public Buildings




 
Inspired by Nature
Image of Fallingwater
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Fallingwater, 1936
In 1935 Wright was approached by a client who worked as an industrialist in the city but had purchased a site in the woods of Pennsylvania. He wanted Wright to design a summer retreat for him and his family, a place where they could get away from the dirt and noise of the city and be close to nature. The site had a waterfall that spilled over a series of flat boulders. Wright designed the house so that the whole building rests on top of the waterfall and seems to jut out like the rocks and boulders below it. Wright made sure that as few trees as possible were removed for construction, so the house is nestled into the forest around it. He put the bedrooms on the top floor to take advantage of lovely views, so the family would feel like they were living among the treetops. Balconies around several levels of the house allowed the family to rest outside without being away from the comforts of home. The boulder that the family liked so much became the centerpiece of the fireplace. The house was called Fallingwater, and it is one of the most recognizable houses in the country. It made Wright more famous than he was before, and more people started asking him to design buildings for them.
 


Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust
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