The house is a work of art: Frank Lloyd Wright

midnightfish 68 points 27 comments April 03, 2026
aeon.co · View on Hacker News

Discussion Highlights (12 comments)

crooked-v

I'm sad that we're coming up towards 100 years on from Fallingwater being built, and yet the American preference for new houses of a similar price (after inflation) is the sort of awful stuff that shows up on mcmansionhell.com.

zdw

If you ever visit Taliesin in Wisconsin (which has a pretty bland), you should also visit the nearby House on the Rock which is a fascinating and very weird collection of esoteric and kitschy items. The contrast in attitudes and aesthetics between the two is incredibly stark, and it's very interesting to see the reactions of visitors to each location.

mynegation

Fallingwater is more than work of art, it is a religious experience. I visited it three times (each time my visit to Pittsburgh and the area surrounding the house was to specifically see it) and every damn time I stood weeping leaving the tour.

Lost-Futures

As student I had privilege of visiting Taliesin West in Arizona. Easily my favorite architect, a true artist.

iwontberude

If you haven't visited falling water, definitely go. It's American architecture at its finest.

linksnapzz

If you'd like, you can still speak to the last living client (as of last year) of FLW; still living in the house the architect designed for him: https://alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/reisley-wright-last-c...

diabllicseagull

Fallingwater has just gone through a series of renovations and all areas are now accessible. If you haven't seen it yet, now is a great time.

gabrielsroka

https://archive.org/details/frank-lloyd-wright-ken-burns

mauvehaus

For the northeastern US folks and anyone willing to travel: the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH has not one but two Frank Lloyd Wright houses in its collection[0]. I’ve seen the Zimmerman House a couple of times, and it hews pretty close to the familiar aesthetic of Fallingwater: warm tones, lovely space, furniture to match. The Kalil House I got to see recently, it’s the newer acquisition. It’s a Usonian Automatic, meaning the owner was meant to buy the plans and the molds for the concrete blocks, and the build it themselves. Long story short: it didn’t go exactly as planned. The house is fascinating though: much of it is a concrete gray rather than the warmer tones we usually associate wiry Wright’s work. It feels less tied to the place it’s built than either the Zimmerman House or Fallingwater. It feels much less starkly architectural, and more connected to the way regular people live, more attainable, insofar as you can use that word with Wright. They also both have ceilings that work with taller people. Fallingwater is downright claustrophobic in places. Highly worth the trip if you’re in the area. And if you’re in the area of Fallingwater, Kentucky Knob is basically right there. If you’ve travelled more than a few hours to see Fallingwater, you’d be nuts to miss it. [0] https://www.currier.org/frank-lloyd-wright

netfortius

Surprised to see nothing about what he's done for S.C.Johnson, in and around Racine, WI.

sombragris

I studied graduate school in a building designed by William B. Fyfe, one of Wright's Praire School first apprentices. It was beautiful and serene. The same city where my school is located has a house designed by Wright himself in a special neighborhood known as Heritage Hill, also a great example of Wright's style. I felt grateful that I had to go to class every day in such a lovely building (which still stands, btw, albeit with some additions and modifications). Having the opportunity to be there was, and still is, one of the highlights of my life.

WalterBright

I wouldn't want to live in it, though, because everything would be damp.

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