Spectacular natural scenery inspires many visitors to search for the beauty of the seasons when choosing a venue for a getaway. That breathtaking scenery is one of the main attractions of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, where visitors can get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright was also inspired by the region’s beautiful setting when he designed two architectural masterpieces in the region: Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob. Open for public tours, these two houses are a must-see.

Fallingwater

In 1935, when Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar J. Kaufmann and his family wanted Wright to design a vacation house for them in the Bear Run community, they wanted it to overlook a waterfall. However, Wright insisted that they be part of the waterfall, not just look at it. The architect’s original scheme was adopted almost without change, was completed in 1939 and built for $155,000. The house is located in what is now the Bear Run Nature Reserve.

In 1963, Fallingwater, its guest house, contents, and grounds were presented to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy by Edgar Kaufmann Jr. Fallingwater is the only remaining Wright house with its setting, original furnishings and art work intact.

Fallingwater is the epitome of “organic architecture,” which Wright said promotes harmony between people and nature. A tour of Fallingwater is evidence of the concept. The details of Fallingwater’s design create a house that is sheltering, but at the same time pulls nature into the home. A more obvious example is the natural boulder protruding from the floor in front of the fireplace hearth in the living room. A less obvious example is Wright’s use of corner windows, which open to reveal no corner posts and surround its inhabitants with nature.

Fallingwater was constructed of sandstone quarried on the property and laid by local craftsmen. The stone serves to separate reinforced concrete “trays,” forming living and bedroom levels, dramatically cantilevered over the stream.

You have to see this house to believe it.

When you go

The regular season starts mid-March and runs through Thanksgiving, open daily including weekends, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed Wednesdays. All tours of the house are guided. The regular tour lasts about one hour and features the major rooms. Advanced tickets or reservations are essential to guarantee admission. Tickets may be purchased online by visiting www.fallingwater.org, or by calling visitor services at 724-329-8501.

Children six and over may accompany adults. Photography inside the house is not permitted.

If you take children, be sure to visit the website, www.fallingwater.org, beforehand for family fun activities, including Bingo!, Sculptures and Word Finds that children will find fascinating to do when they visit.

All Fallingwater tours are walking tours, so good walking shoes are essential. There is a ¼ mile walk from the visitors center to the house. Fallingwater is a multi-storied house with over 100 steps from the first level to the guest house on the top of a hill. For those with mobility concerns, guests must be able to walk and stand throughout most of the tour. There are no places to sit down in the house itself. Limited van transportation is available for visitors who really cannot make this walk. Ask at the visitors center desk for this service when you are assigned to a tour group. There are no restroom facilities in the house, but there are nice facilities in the visitors center. There is also a café. Visitors using wheelchairs may visit the first floor of the house and then go to the visitors center to view a video showing the upper floors of the house. Wheelchairs must be able to fit through a 28-inch doorway to access the first floor.

Fallingwater is located 19 miles south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) on State Route 381, halfway between the villages of Mill Run and Ohiopyle. (The street address, for mapping purposes only, is 1491 Mill Run Road. Please use caution when using Internet mapping programs, because they often use secondary or unpaved roads.)

Kentuck Knob

Just seven miles southwest of Fallingwater, and high atop a bluff overlooking the Youghiogheny River Gorge, sits Kentuck Knob, also designed by Wright in 1954 for I.N. Hagan, owner of the Hagan Ice Cream Company, and his wife. The house is described as an eloquent testimony to the unity of man and nature. The Uniontown, Pa., couple commissioned Wright to design the house for their 79-acre tract of farm land. Wright wedged their house into the brow of Kentuck Knob, because he determined the Hagans were “perchers” rather than “nesters.”

When Wright designed a house, he didn’t just design a shelter; he wanted his clients to live inside a work of art. Kentuck Knob is designed on a hexagonal grid. Wright thought open angles were more flexible than harsh right angles in terms of flow and movement and thus more suitable to the way life was meant to be lived in the house. He used natural materials to create a chorus of color and texture that replicated the surrounding landscape.

Upon entering the house, one is drawn into the living room by the natural light emanating from the south wall, which is primarily glass. The window tends to disappear, and visitors feel as if there is no separation at all between inside and out.

When you go

Experienced interpreters guide all tours through Kentuck Knob. Advance ticket purchases or reservations are essential. Tickets may be purchased at www.kentuckknob.com or by calling visitor services at 724-329-8501.

For GPS directions, use 723 Kentuck Road, Dunbar, Pa. For detailed information, visit www.kentuckknob.com.

For information on the Laurel Highlands, visit www.laurelhighlands.org.