News & Offers

Frank Lloyd Wright: Pennsylvania Gems

Frank Lloyd Wright is regarded as the greatest American architect ever.

 

Frank Lloyd Wright is regarded as the greatest American architect ever. He was a pioneer of organic architecture, drawing inspiration from the landscape of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. In this region, four Frank Lloyd Wright homes stand, each integrating the stunning natural surroundings into its design.

Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater

Wright’s crowning achievement, Fallingwater, is deemed one of the world’s most famous homes. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is managed by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. This year celebrates the 60th anniversary of the property’s public opening, and the house has recently reopened following the completion of its winter preservation efforts on 15 March.

Kentuck Knob

Merely seven miles southwest of Fallingwater, perched on a bluff with a commanding view of the Youghiogheny River Gorge, is Kentuck Knob, another of Wright’s masterpieces. It exemplifies Wright’s Usonian principles through its organic layout, cantilevered extensions, and vast glass areas. The 2024 visiting season commenced this week, with the house welcoming visitors every day until 2 November.

Frank Lloyd Wright is regarded as the greatest American architect ever.
Fallingwater
Polymath Park

Situated less than 30 miles from Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, Polymath Park boasts two Wright-designed houses, the Duncan House and Mäntylä, originally constructed in the Midwest and later moved to the Laurel Highlands. Additionally, the park includes the Balter and Blum (main image) houses, built on the Westmoreland County property and designed by Wright’s apprentice, Peter Berndston.

Polymath Park offers unique visitor experiences such as “destination dining” in TreeHouse dining pods or at the TreeTops Restaurant, and the opportunity to stay overnight in any of the four homes, as they are all available for daily rental.

To delve deeper into Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, one can visit his office, now a museum situated in a custom-built facility in Erie. This office is included in the global list of publicly accessible Wright sites. Click here to read more.


Travel Pennsylvania

For more reasons to visit Pennsylvania, check out visitPA.com.

Explore Topics

Mark Bibby Jackson

Mark Bibby Jackson

Before setting up Travel Begins at 40, Mark was the publisher of AsiaLIFE Cambodia and a freelance travel writer. When he is not packing and unpacking his travelling bag, Mark writes novels, including To Cook A Spider and Peppered Justice. He loves walking, eating, tasting beer, isolation and arthouse movies, as well as talking to strangers on planes, buses and trains whenever possible. Most at home when not at home. Mark is a member and director of communications of the British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW).

Read more posts by Mark Bibby Jackson →

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *