After waking up in a motel room in Altoona PA that had lost all power, we packed up the car and headed further southwest to visit a pair of houses by Frank Lloyd Wright.

In the morning, we toured Kentuck Knob which was built late in Wright‘s career. It‘s on a fairly modest scale and is essentially a stretched version of one of his “Usonian“ low(er) cost homes. Though some of the spaces seem too small by today’s standards (21” wide hallways), the home feels quite comfortable and livable.

Originally owned by a family that ran a large dairy, it was sold to a British Lord in the mid nineties who allowed it to be opened to the public for tours. He visits about once a month and has purchased an additional house further down the hill to live in the majority of the time he‘s in town. They then use the Wright house in the evenings when the public isn’t around.

The grounds around Kentuck Knob have been set up as a large sculpture park. In addition to several environmental works are two sections of the Berlin Wall.

After a quick lunch, we headed to Falling Water - Frank Lloyd Wright‘s “masterwork“. From some vantage points the house really engages with the waterfall, from others, it completely overwhelms the waterfall. We were a little disappointed. I think maybe because it’s been built up so much as the place to aspire to. Also, there were so many tour groups going through the house that it was difficult to actually experience it as a refuge from the “urban”.

Drove through Pittsburgh in the evening. and had dinner next to the PNC ballpark along the river.