Close to Nature

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. -Frank Lloyd Wright

This appropriate quote appears at the header of the Creek Camp blog, right under the toad.

Frank Lloyd Wright was a world-famous American architect (1867-1959) who was famous for his unusual and modernistic designs. We chose to include this tour as part of Bayer Climate Fellows Sustainability Camp because of Wright's committment to incorporating organic natural elements into human spaces. He designed many buildings--houses, office buildings, churches, museums, hotels. He is perhaps best known for Fallingwater, perched lovingly over the creek and waterfall at Bear Run, PA, as well as the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Fallingwater was built as a residence. It was completed in 1939, for Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kaufmann, the founders and owners of Kaufmann's, one of the largest department stores in Pittsburgh history. Its cantilevered concrete balconies, limestone pillars and walls are elements of one of Wrights signature styles. As an indicator of the change in the value of the American dollar over the past 70 years, it is reported that the entire design and construction of Fallingwater--including the custom-designed and built-in furniture--was less than $175,000.00.

The green building movement today embraces many of the ideals that Wright employed more than half a century ago at Fallingwater. Wright's design placed a high value on natural lighting, facilitation of fresh air flow, and the inclusion of natural "white noise" from the waterfall below. It is a treasured work of art, and an architectural wonder that has been preserved for people to visit and appreciate. The house and grounds are now operated and kept as a museum destination by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

For anyone with an interest in art and architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright is a fascinating and worthy subject for further research. His buildings are not to be missed; we are proud to have included this tour as part of the Bayer Camp. You can visit the Conservancy on line at http://www.paconserve.org/index-fw1.asp.

Jeff Jordan
Director of Education
RiverQuest