< PreviousFirst and foremost, inscription on the World Heritage List is about celebration. The designation is the highest honor a cultural site can receive, one reserved for places with significance to all of humanity. Fallingwater and the other seven Frank Lloyd Wright sites join a list of timeless landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Monticello here in the U.S., and the Pyramids of Egypt and the Taj Mahal abroad. Of course, scholars and admirers alike have long recognized Fallingwater’s importance. The house was on the cover of Time Magazine in 1938 and received a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City that same year. The National Park Service designated Fallingwater a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and Pennsylvania honored the site as a Commonwealth Treasure in 2000. The American Institute of Architects went so far as to say Fallingwater is “the best all-time work of American architecture.” Yet World Heritage designation goes further, officially recognizing Fallingwater and Wright’s significance on the international stage. It acknowledges the worldwide influence of Wright in the social, cultural and architectural development of the 20th century. This designation affirms that without Wright the world we live in today would look quite different. He embraced change and employed new technologies to stretch boundaries and push architecture in unprecedented directions. By breaking free of traditional forms to facilitate modern life, Wright created new conceptions for housing, worship, work, education and leisure – always celebrating the human scale and intimately linking his designs to nature, both in form and materials. Wright viewed architecture as “the mother of all the arts” and recognized that dramatic new building forms were powerful tools in communicating his ideas for American architecture. Fallingwater, as Wright’s tour de force, holds a unique position in promoting those ideas, most significant of which is the importance of rooting architecture in the natural world. Wright drew inspiration directly from the mountain landscape for every element of Fallingwater’s design – the colors, materials and dramatic sculptural form. The result is a house unlike any other that has the ability to demonstrate how people can respect, and live in harmony with, the natural world. This connection to nature lies at the heart of Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture – the same principle that forms the foundation of today’s sustainability movement. Fallingwater serves as an enduring model of how architecture can create a powerful union of nature, built environment and human habitation, where all three of these components support one another and thrive as a unified whole. As architects and designers work to create more sustainable standards for building and living, World Heritage designation expands opportunities for Fallingwater to offer inspiration. Our education team has developed school outreach programs and innovative residencies that use lessons learned at Fallingwater as a starting point for sustainable design while exploring new ways to engage all types of learners on topics related to the intersection of architecture and sustainability. Inclusion on the World Heritage List will also increase tourism, broadening our ability to share Fallingwater’s message WhyMatters WORLD HERITAGE By Justin W. Gunther, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Vice President and Fallingwater Director Frank Lloyd Wright CONSERVE 10through our public tour program. We expect most of this growth to be from an international audience, which will help us spread the relevance of Fallingwater far and wide. It will also bring increased recognition to the Laurel Highlands, Pittsburgh and all of Pennsylvania. The Laurel Highlands has the added benefit of Kentuck Knob and Polymath Park, allowing visitors the opportunity to explore Wright’s influence through a range of his architecture. These educational impacts are aided by economic benefits, as travelers from the U.S. and around the world stay longer and spend more at hotels, restaurants and other cultural sites throughout the region. Along with accommodating more visitors, we are committed to stewarding Fallingwater for generations to come. This requires thoughtful strategies to effectively balance preservation and higher visitation. Our reservations-only approach will allow us to control volume, reduce the chance for physical damage and direct growth to our slower seasons. And our ongoing surveying of visitors will continue to provide constructive feedback on how to enhance the tour experience. However, considering visitation is only one aspect of Fallingwater’s preservation. The house’s daring cantilevered construction and placement over a waterfall greatly complicate the challenges of caring for the house. To help us gain a full understanding of our current preservation needs, we contracted with Architectural Preservation Studio of New York to create a strategic preservation plan for the coming decade. The list of repairs is long, but with World Heritage designation supporting the case for preservation our call to action has never been stronger. Preserving and sharing Fallingwater has further dividends. An inspirational visit to the site has the potential to spark fresh interest in Wright and raise the profile of his architecture around the globe. With around 400 Wright- designed buildings scattered across the country – and development pressures and insensitive alterations still posing threats to many of them – increased awareness about the significance of Wright’s legacy is key to their survival. The benefits of inclusion on the World Heritage List are many. The overall impacts are immeasurable. For Fallingwater, it recognizes the house’s irreplaceable role in the history of architecture. However, history is not static. To use Wright’s term, it is organic, always evolving. Fallingwater will forever play a part in shaping the course of architecture by changing our conceptions of what is possible and inspiring us to build stronger connections to nature through design. "This irrefutable World Heritage designation forever acknowledges Wright’s profound influence and decades-long contribution to modern architecture." - Justin W. Gunther Fallingwater, view of east elevation Since opening for its first tour in 1964, Fallingwater has welcomed a diverse range of visitors from around the world. 11CONSERVE 12“Fallingwater is a great blessing – one of the great blessings to be experienced here on earth. I think nothing yet ever equaled the coordination, sympathetic expression of the great principle of repose where forest and stream and rock and all the elements of structure are combined so quietly that really you listen not to any noise whatsoever although the music of the stream is there. But, you listen to Fallingwater the way you listen to the quiet of the country.” – Frank Lloyd Wright, 1955 Fallingwater living room 13PRESERVING FALLINGWATER is more important than ever Frank Lloyd Wright once noted, “Weather is omnipresent and buildings must be left out in the rain.” Although he succeeded in visually melding Fallingwater with its landscape, the master knew that nature would continuously fight that union. Southwestern Pennsylvania’s seasonal freeze-thaw cycle and accompanying sunlight, humidity and snow create unique preservation challenges for a flat-roofed, concrete house situated over a wooded stream. To maintain the site as a historic resource, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy remains committed to caring for Fallingwater using the highest standards of preservation practice. Fallingwater’s preservation team continually addresses issues with the house and the Kaufmanns’ vast collection of artifacts, artwork, furniture and textiles. With World Heritage inscription comes heightened preservation responsibility, explains Justin Gunther, Fallingwater director and Conservancy vice president. “Fallingwater has been identified as an irreplaceable landmark with importance to all of humanity, making our commitment to safeguard Fallingwater for future generations more important than ever before.” Fallingwater was the first house of the modern movement to open as a museum, and Edgar Kaufmann jr.’s donation is regarded as one of the 20th century’s most significant acts of architectural philanthropy. “That broad exposure helped to popularize the importance of not only preserving Wright’s architecture, but the architecture of the modern movement as a whole,” Justin observes. “Fallingwater’s international fame, coupled with its ability to connect with visitors and inspire imagination, promoted modern design’s popularity in the lives of everyday people.” International attention increased during the site’s most invasive preservation project, the structural strengthening of the cantilevers in 2001 and 2002. When it was discovered that the terraces were deflecting and in danger of tumbling into Bear Run, the stream below the house, the Conservancy undertook an $11 million capital campaign for preservation and site-wide improvements. Foundations and private donors, including those who had admired the house through photos and visitors who had experienced what Edgar jr. once called an “ever-flowing source of exhilaration,” came to Fallingwater’s rescue. Other recent projects have included reinforcing and replacing degrading concrete, replacing the glass in 308 windows, conserving steel window and door frames and replacing trellis beams. Scott Perkins, Fallingwater’s director of preservation and collections, agrees World Heritage status will bring more visitors, but with them come concerns about the impact on historic materials. “A large part of the World Heritage nomination process is documenting and establishing a site’s authenticity of materials and integrity of spirit and site – the more we protect original materials, the better we demonstrate to our visitors the excellent stewardship methods we are undertaking.” Although the house is structurally sound, ongoing preservation challenges are couched in the organic construction materials and their contentious relationship with the elements, mainly water, that marry the house to its landscape. Laminated window glass, which protects the collection from sunlight, can become cloudy when permeated by humidity and moisture. Steel window and door sashes corrode when exposed to water and condensation. Hairline openings in the reinforced poured-concrete walls, cracks in the spalling corners of rolled-roof edges and eroding mortar along stone walls allow melting snow and rain to seep into interior spaces. An extensive new preservation plan, developed by Architectural Preservation Studios of New York City and finalized in August 2019, addresses multiple areas including concrete and stone preservation, window and roofing systems, paint-coating systems, interior finishes and more. Extensive water testing and inspections by masonry and concrete Failing concrete was removed and concrete patching material applied to the canopy roof over the steps leading from the main house to the guest house in 2014. Ongoing concrete preservation work is necessary to prevent leaks and minimize deterioration. CONSERVE 1415 consultants and structural engineers have determined that openings in the chimney mass masonry likely have allowed water infiltration. The roofs of the main house and guest house and the cantilevered terraces will be repaired in multiple phases, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The work will likely include injecting grout into the chimney mass to seal water channels, pulling up multiple layers of membrane and refinishing the roofs, and improving the flashing material along the roofs’ edges. Such efforts also protect the collections inside from irreparable damage. Two larger preservation projects planned for 2020 include work to repair the bolsters under the house and to repair or replace the concrete walls of the vehicular bridge that spans Bear Run. “Nature is seemingly trying to overtake the house at all times,” notes Genny McIntyre, the Conservancy’s vice president of institutional advancement. The Conservancy conducts routine preservation and conservation efforts, such as caring for built-in wood furnishings, which alone can cost on average $30,000 each winter. “Repairs are rarely minor or inexpensive at Fallingwater. The Conservancy has the obligation and privilege to steward the house and the site. The new preservation plan provides a clear roadmap to address Fallingwater’s most urgent preservation needs,” she adds. Although World Heritage designation brings increased exposure, it does not come with funding, and despite what people often think, revenue from ticket sales, the café and museum store only covers day-to-day operating costs of the site. The Conservancy and Fallingwater are working diligently to secure public funding to help address Fallingwater’s most significant preservation needs. Such funding will require a dollar-for-dollar match with private funds. “Now more than ever, with the responsibility of World Heritage status,” Genny says, “we believe those who love Fallingwater will join us in ensuring that this treasure is available to the world for generations to come.” Water has trickled through the chimney mass, probably since the house was built, exiting through the soffit above the doorway to Edgar jr.’s study. Annual cosmetic repairs are done around the study soffit, but more extensive repairs to the roof and chimney mass are imperative to stop this and other water damage. 15See itBuy itLearn more London-based weave designer Eleanor Pritchard spent a week at Fallingwater capturing its energy and designing a special textile, which came to life as a blanket and a pillow cover available exclusively through the Fallingwater Museum Store. A new exhibition, Eleanor Pritchard – Framing a View, details Eleanor’s design journey from initial concepts to final production, with yarns, tools, windings, bobbins and weave notes telling the story behind the piece. The exhibition subtly reveals how Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture and the Kaufmanns’ artwork, objects and textiles influenced and informed her work. Although the Kaufmanns initially found Wright’s selection of stone, concrete, glass and steel as Fallingwater’s primary architectural elements dreary – Liliane called the color scheme “cold, barren and monotonous” – they appreciated the intense interplay with nature that his design afforded. His gray and ochre interior color scheme reflected Fallingwater’s stone and concrete exterior, while his signature Cherokee red metal surfaces served as understated ornament. The family came to love the design’s simplicity, using it as a calm backdrop for their collection of art and vividly colored textiles. Eleanor also found inspiration in Wright’s use of neutral colors and was fascinated by how, in cutting and treating the local stone differently, “Wright created two such different experiences of the same material – the polished floors against the monolithic rough-hewn walls.” The repeated geometry of clear glass and red metal window frames against stone inspired the new textile, “Ffenestr,” which is Welsh for window and a nod to Wright’s heritage. Scott Perkins, Fallingwater’s director of preservation and collections, notes that Edgar Sr. and Liliane’s decorating style and use of textiles were functional. "Ponchos became blankets, rugs were there to warm floors in winter. But, Edgar jr. took a different approach. He curated the house with furnishings and textiles.” Eleanor’s Ffenestr design subtly references those textiles, which counter the sparseness and hard materials of the house. “Although the reds, golds and indigos catch your eye, I was drawn to the beautifully textured off-white Lenor Larsen 'Doria' fabric, which covers the long built-in banquettes. It forms a quiet but flattering background to all the color and pattern in the cushions and throws.” Linear elements of unbleached white appear in the blanket and small charcoal oblongs are a reference to charred logs in the fireplaces. The exhibition features a recreation of Eleanor’s studio storyboard wall, samples of the design process, images of the Welsh mill that wove the textile and archival Fallingwater materials. Framing a View also casts light on the extensive archive of textiles within Fallingwater’s collection, including contemporary fabrics by American designers, African kuba cloths, Indonesian ikats and Scottish tartans. To read more about Eleanor Pritchard’s stay at Fallingwater and the development of Ffenestr, visit Eleanorpritchard.com/journal. Ffenestr is available as a blanket and a pillow cover exclusively through the Fallingwater Museum Store. For more information, visit FallingwaterMuseumStore.org or call 724-329-7807. Eleanor Pritchard – Framing a View, displayed in the Speyer Gallery at the Fallingwater Visitor Center, continues through December 2019. For more information, visit Fallingwater.org/ exhibition or call 724-329-8501. LONDON DESIGNER frames a view of Fallingwater Eleanor Pritchard spent a week at Fallingwater in December 2018 designing a special textile. The textile, “Ffenestr,” which is Welsh for window, comes to life as a blanket, shown here, and a pillow. CONSERVE 1617 Professor provides decades of guidance for landscape architecture interns In the summer of 1986, Fallingwater’s first landscape architecture intern Sean Michael appeared in Professor George Longenecker’s West Virginia University office and asked, “Can you tell me what we should be doing up at Fallingwater?” Upon completing his internship, Sean recommended Fallingwater hire a horticultural advisor, thus jumpstarting George’s long-running tenure as advisor to the site’s landscape architecture interns. George, who had once traversed the country amassing 8,000 slides of Wright sites, was happy to oblige. For 33 summers, Fallingwater’s Katherine Mabis McKenna Landscape Internship, generously funded by the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, has provided opportunities for 67 interns, all of whom benefited from George’s guidance. Aspiring landscape architects address plant conservation and landscape restoration projects. Much of an intern’s work, George says, is hands-on learning, “not just design, but what happens beyond the design.” Projects have included designing and implementing plantings, repositioning a cabin on the property, building steps to the overlook, addressing parking lot drainage issues, pulling invasive plants and deftly pruning the rhododendrons, which left to grow unchecked would block visitors’ iconic view of the house. Landscaping at Fallingwater, George says, “should look as if you haven’t done anything. People want things to look like they’ve always been that way.” Derek Kalp, PLA, ASLA, a landscape architect at Penn State University, interned in 1993 and was inspired by George’s philosophy. “George told us the plants would talk to him, which I thought was pretty funny,” Derek recalls. “But I realize his approach is about recognizing our deep connection with nature and listening to what it has to say. To this day, that’s how I teach students to appreciate plants beyond their scientific characteristics or their functional and aesthetic applications in design.” In addition to teaching at WVU for 39 years, George was a founding member and executive director for 26 years of the West Virginia Botanic Garden. He received the 2018 National Award of Excellence from National Garden Clubs Inc. Although retired from teaching, George plans to continue mentoring Fallingwater interns, supporting and inspiring a new generation of caretakers who will enjoy the responsibility of caring for the land surrounding a World Heritage Site. Having access to the Conservancy’s Bear Run Nature Reserve for three decades affords George a unique perspective regarding the evolving philosophy of the property’s care. That perspective has provided him insight on future management plans for the longevity of Fallingwater’s plants and trees. In light of Fallingwater’s World Heritage inscription, a thoughtful approach to landscape architecture is more important than ever, says Justin Gunther, Fallingwater director and Conservancy vice president. “George’s love of teaching and passion for Frank Lloyd Wright have created invaluable learning experiences for the students, and his thoughtful approach to design has helped guide the establishment of appropriate policies for landscape care,” Justin says. “The powerful union of architecture and nature defines Fallingwater’s significance, making the careful stewardship of the landscape and the building equally important to the site's long-term preservation.” The professor agrees, observing simply, “There will never be another Fallingwater.” Professor George Longenecker, advisor to Fallingwater’s landscape architecture interns Professor Longenecker with Amanda Hayton and Bryce Brucker, summer 2019 landscape architecture interns 17Next >