I've been a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture for many years, and when we were visiting our friends Ann and Gerry in Illinois they took us to see and tour the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Springfield. Wow, it's such a beautiful house! There are two houses designed by Mr. Wright in Pennsylvania, so after many years of saying we should go to see them, we finally did it!
Our first stop was Kentuck Knob, which is still a private home. The house is set on top of a hill and surrounded by tall, beautiful trees. I would love to live there!
I know it's hard to see, but trust me, it's just beautiful!
Kentuck Knob is a short drive from Falling Water, which was designed by Mr. Wright as a vacation home for the Edgar J. Kauffman Family in 1935. Remember Kauffman's Department Store in Pittsburgh? That's the family!
We were allowed to take pictures inside the house, but only on the first floor, and I took a lot of pictures.
The only way to see the home is on a guided tour, and it's definitely worth the price. Our guide pointed out so many things that we would have missed. He said Mr. Wright used only two colors in Falling Water: a light ochre for the concrete and his signature Cherokee red for the steel.
Who wouldn't want to live in a house with a stream flowing underneath it! It had steps going from the main living area down to the stream, and I could just imagine our grandkids playing in the stream or fishing from the steps. Perfect!
Inside the house there was a glass cover with doors so you could keep those grandkids from falling down the steps, and unwanted creatures from climbing in. Even more perfect!
Another feature that I really liked was a small stream and pool right outside the side door with a bar of soap hanging right there. That's where you could rinse those muddy little hands and feet before they run into your Frank Lloyd Wright house!
The interior of the house still has the original furniture designed by Mr. Wright. He didn't remove the rocks to build the house, instead he used them in the design. See the round thing to the left of the fireplace? It's a giant kettle that can swing into the fireplace and can hold many gallons of wine or cider to be heated for some warm toddy. How clever!
The upper levels were equally fascinating, but remember, no pictures allowed inside except for the first floor. The Kauffman's son, their only child, had his own floor!
I love this house! It looks beautiful, and even sounds beautiful with the waterfalls below it.
I'm so glad we finally went to see these two beautiful homes!
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