WEBVTT - How Does Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio, Hey Rain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Lauren vogebam here. Acclaimed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright

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<v Speaker 1>once said the architect must be a prophet. If you

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<v Speaker 1>can't see at least ten years ahead, don't call him

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<v Speaker 1>an architect. Wright proved his own words when he designed

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<v Speaker 1>Falling Water, a private residence that's now preserved as a

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<v Speaker 1>museum and has captivated countless spectators for more than eighty years.

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<v Speaker 1>Set in the Laurel Highlands region in the mountains of

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<v Speaker 1>southwestern Pennsylvania, Falling Water remains open to visitors today, many

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<v Speaker 1>decades after Wright's death in n A now classic example

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<v Speaker 1>of what's called organic architecture, Falling Water is a sweeping,

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<v Speaker 1>tiered structure designed to be both a part of and

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<v Speaker 1>apart from the natural landscape surround again. It incorporates wood

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<v Speaker 1>and rough edge stone quarried from the property itself, along

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<v Speaker 1>with bold, blunt lines of concrete and steel, all set

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<v Speaker 1>atop an active waterfall, a balance of human and natural elements.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's its story. In Pittsburgh, department store owner Edgar J. Kaufman, Sr.

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<v Speaker 1>Hired Wright to design a private residence for his family.

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<v Speaker 1>The house would serve as their weekend home out in

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<v Speaker 1>the country, roughly seventy five miles or a hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>twenty kilometers outside of Pittsburgh. A. Kaufman and his wife

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<v Speaker 1>Lilianne were impressed by Wright's work after visiting their son

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<v Speaker 1>at an architectural school that Right designed and ran in Wisconsin.

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<v Speaker 1>For the article this episode is based on How Stuff Works,

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<v Speaker 1>spoke via email with Clinton E. Piper, who works as

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<v Speaker 1>a senior administrator of special Projects at Falling Water. He

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<v Speaker 1>explained the Kaufman's were innovative retailers with an eye toward

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<v Speaker 1>good design. Their son, Edgar Kaufman Jr. Read Frank Lloyd

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<v Speaker 1>Wright's autobiography and participated in Wright's apprentice program in spring Green, Wisconsin.

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<v Speaker 1>Since Wright had experienced a lack of work during the

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<v Speaker 1>Great Depression, which put a halt to many architectural endeavors,

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<v Speaker 1>landing such a big commission helped put him back on

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<v Speaker 1>the map as a top architect. Right completed construction on

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<v Speaker 1>the main house, a five thousand, three hundred square foot

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<v Speaker 1>that's five hundred square meter structure by eight and finished

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<v Speaker 1>building the guest house, which measures some one thousand, seven

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<v Speaker 1>hundred square feet or one hundred and sixties square meters

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<v Speaker 1>the following year. The home remained a private residence of

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<v Speaker 1>the family until nineteen sixty three, when Edgar Jr. Gave

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<v Speaker 1>the ded to Falling Water and the surrounding one thousand,

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<v Speaker 1>five hundred acres but six hundred hectors to the Western

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<v Speaker 1>Pennsylvania Conservancy, dedicating the property as the Kaufman Conservation on

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<v Speaker 1>Bear Run memorial to Edgar J. And Lillian S. Kaufman.

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<v Speaker 1>Falling Water first opened its stores for public tours in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixty four. Since then, many entities have recognized the

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<v Speaker 1>importance of Falling Waters artistry. In late nineteen seventies, the

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<v Speaker 1>U S Department of the Interior does neated the museum

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<v Speaker 1>a National Historic Landmark, and in twenty nineteen UNESCO added

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<v Speaker 1>Falling Water and seven other Frank Lloyd Right design sites

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<v Speaker 1>to its list of World Heritage Sites, marking an impressive

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<v Speaker 1>international recognition of Falling Water's legacy in the world of architecture.

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<v Speaker 1>It's also the only major Frank Lloyd Right work with

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<v Speaker 1>its setting, original furnishings, and artwork still intact. More than

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<v Speaker 1>four point five million people have visited Falling Water since

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<v Speaker 1>it opened to the public, among them architectural buffs and

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<v Speaker 1>curious novices alike. Piper said, Falling Water is a humane

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<v Speaker 1>experience where rights insight, the Coffin family's way of life,

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<v Speaker 1>and the natural setting are spread out for all to

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<v Speaker 1>experience and question, regardless of their background or previous knowledge.

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<v Speaker 1>Right popularized the Prairie style of design, which focused on

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<v Speaker 1>residential houses in the Midwest between nineteen hundred and nineteen sixteen.

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<v Speaker 1>The Prairie style emphasized neat horizontal lines, which came Rights

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<v Speaker 1>calling card. You can see these simple lines and sharp

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<v Speaker 1>right angles in the exterior of Falling Water, and as

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned before, Falling Water particularly stands out as exemplary of

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<v Speaker 1>organic architecture, which blends man made structures with the natural

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<v Speaker 1>world around them. Organic architecture became staple in rights designs.

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<v Speaker 1>Piper explained much of Right's nearly seventy year architectural career

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<v Speaker 1>created buildings and houses that connected one way or another

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<v Speaker 1>to their natural setting. This was especially true of Falling Water,

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<v Speaker 1>which was surrounded by thousands of acres of wild beauty

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<v Speaker 1>in the bar Run Nature Reserve. Right leaned into that

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<v Speaker 1>natural setting by building walls of Pottsville sandstone quarried again

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<v Speaker 1>on the property itself to reflect the stone outcroppings found

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<v Speaker 1>in bear Run. He also challenged the natural surrounding with

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<v Speaker 1>concrete cantilevers, which he stacked to form bold terraces in

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<v Speaker 1>multiple directions and offer beautiful vista is of the wilderness.

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<v Speaker 1>Piper said the powerful symbolism of architecture seemingly erupting from

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<v Speaker 1>nature was at the core of Right's philosophy of organic architecture.

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<v Speaker 1>Right selective materials such as marine grade walnut near plywood

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<v Speaker 1>for the built in furnishings to address the effects of

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<v Speaker 1>living with nature. Falling Water's most iconic attribute is, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>it's waterfall, and hence the name falling Water, which gently

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<v Speaker 1>tumbles beneath the home. Piper said, the sound of the

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<v Speaker 1>falls is the backdrop that ties the entire experience together.

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<v Speaker 1>But designing such an architectural masterpiece made Falling Water a

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<v Speaker 1>pricey endeavor for Right and the Kaufman's. According to Piper,

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<v Speaker 1>the Kaufman's set an initial budget between twenty thousand and

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<v Speaker 1>thirty thousand dollars for the construction of the house, but

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<v Speaker 1>Right well well exceeded that initial budget. Falling Water wound

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<v Speaker 1>up costing a hundred and fifty five thousand dollars, including

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<v Speaker 1>an eight thousand dollar commission fee for right and four

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<v Speaker 1>thousand four built in front chair. That's a bit over

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<v Speaker 1>three million in today's dollars, but of course, as a

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<v Speaker 1>great work of art, in many ways, it's priceless. According

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<v Speaker 1>to Piper, famous guests ranging from Albert Einstein to FRIEDA.

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<v Speaker 1>Collo have stayed at Falling Water Since being turned into

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<v Speaker 1>a museum. Falling Water no longer accepts overnight guests, but

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<v Speaker 1>there are still plenty of ways visitors can enjoy the museum.

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<v Speaker 1>During COVID nineteen, guests may experience the outdoor setting of

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<v Speaker 1>Falling Water with an advanced reservation and masks and social

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<v Speaker 1>distancing are required. If you can't swing and in person visit,

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<v Speaker 1>that's no problem. Visit falling Water dot org to try

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<v Speaker 1>one of their at home experiences, such as one of

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<v Speaker 1>the virtual tours conducted via live stream weekly, each one

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<v Speaker 1>offering information about a different aspect of the home. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on the article Falling Water. It's considered

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<v Speaker 1>Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece. Here's Why. On how Stuff Works

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<v Speaker 1>dot Com by Terry your Logata. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of I heart Radio in partnership with how stuffworks dot

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<v Speaker 1>Com and was produced by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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