knob and water
Wednesday is traditionally R&R day at the U.S. Go Congress (USGC) — there is a break between the first three and the last three rounds to check out the local scenes and generally give your brain a break from go. I signed up for a trip to see a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright houses in PA. They were at the southwestern end of the state, which meant we had to drive almost the length of Pennsylvania since the USGC is in a ‘burb of Lancaster. 4 hours there and 4 hours back made for a long day, but it was worth it.
Bob, our go-playing driver and trip organizer, provided plenty of background on Fallingwater’s history during the drive. Designed as a ‘weekend home’ for millionaire Edgar Kaufmann, his wife and son in 1936, the house is built over a running waterfall in the woods and is stunningly beautiful inside and out.
After a guided tour of Fallingwater we drove 20 minutes further to see Kentuck Knob (above). Instead of a millionaire budget, the Knob was a ‘Usonian’, built for a middle-class couple for approximately $70,000. This home has 24 hexagonal glassless skylights, among other interesting features.
Wright had many strong opinions about architectural design, among them: make the building blend in with it’s environment (’bring the inside out and the outside in’), and repetition of thematic elements throughout the house.