Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater, the 1930s Pennsylvania house built over a waterfall for the Kaufmann family.
Wright designed Fallingwater in 1935 for Edgar J. Kaufmann, the Pittsburgh department-store owner, and his family. Construction began in 1936 at Bear Run, Pennsylvania, and the principal house was completed in 1937. Rather than placing the building in front of the waterfall, Wright cantilevered terraces above it, making the moving water part of the architectural experience.
The house is a major example of Wright’s organic architecture, which sought harmony between buildings and their natural settings. Local stone, broad horizontal lines, and reinforced-concrete cantilevers connect the structure visually and physically to the site.
Fallingwater became a museum after the Kaufmann family transferred it to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and became part of a UNESCO World Heritage property in 2019. It is not a commercial real-estate development; it is a privately commissioned residence preserved as a cultural landmark.