Mill Run, Pa. — March 2, 2021 – Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019, will reopen Saturday, March 6, 2021 for its 58th tour season. Since opening to the public for its first house tour in 1964, Fallingwater has welcomed a diverse range of visitors from around the world.
Fallingwater, designed by Wright in 1935, is open to the public as a house museum and is also designated as a National Historic Landmark and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Treasure.
Several types of tours are available, and advance ticket purchase is strongly encouraged, as tours are scheduled and limited in size. For staff and visitor safety, Fallingwater continues to observe COVID-19 protocols in accordance with Pennsylvania’s health and safety guidelines.
Helping to enhance the visitor experience, the Fallingwater Museum Store, Café and Speyer Gallery will also reopen on March 6. In addition, free Wi-Fi is now available at the Barn at Fallingwater, thanks to CARES Act funding and installation by VITALink, LLC.
Fallingwater is located in the Laurel Highlands in Mill Run, Pa., Fayette County, about 90 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. For more information or to purchase tour tickets, visit Fallingwater.org/Experience-Fallingwater or call visitor services at 724-329-8501.
Exterior and Specialty Tours Experiences
Fallingwater will again offer exterior tours, where visitors can gain insights into Wright’s architecture and design philosophy, and discover the beauty of Fallingwater and its natural landscape through exterior private guided and self-guided exterior tours.
Fallingwater’s interior guided house tours are still unavailable at this time due to COVID-19 restrictions, but a gradual transition back to interior tours will take place as soon as circumstances allow.
Tours are offered daily – except on Wednesdays – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 1, 2021. In December, tours will occur on weekends and each day between Dec. 26-31, 2021.
A variety of specialty tours are also offered, including an outdoor family educational experience on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning March 9. Called Family Field Trip, the tours provide kids of all ages with learning activities in observation and sketching along with a souvenir bag. Starting in May, Fallingwater will offer Focus, Brunch and Sunset tours that include a seasonal meal prepared by Fallingwater Chef Tom Shuttlesworth.
Exhibition
Along with guided tours, Fallingwater visitors have additional opportunities to learn about Fallingwater’s history and collections through a seasonal exhibition in the Visitor Center’s Speyer Gallery.
Opening April 1, this year’s exhibition, Josef Urban’s Designs for Kaufmann’s, will examine art deco designs created in 1928 by Viennese-born architect Josef Urban (1872-1933) for Kaufmann’s Department Store in downtown Pittsburgh. The exhibition will feature historic photography and reproductions of Urban’s original sketches commissioned by store owner Edgar Kaufmann, Sr., who believed Urban’s designs reflected the store’s progressive approach to design and the aesthetic style of the store’s patrons. The exhibition will be on view through Dec. 31, 2021.
The Fallingwater Institute
A variety of programs, including on-site residencies and virtual workshops, classes and residencies, are available to high school and college students, teachers, design professionals and other professional learners through the Fallingwater Institute. Institute participants gain a deeper knowledge, understanding and analysis of Fallingwater and Frank Lloyd Wright’s ideas of organic architecture by exploring sustainable design practices through hands-on exercises and immersive experiences. Working independently and as teams, participants are challenged to think creatively to solve design challenges.
Fallingwater Institute programs are held at various times throughout the year and advance registration is required. More information is available at Fallingwater.org or by contacting Marie Woof, Fallingwater Institute program manager, at mwoof@paconserve.org.
2021 Fayette County Appreciation Days: March 14 and November 14
Fallingwater will again offer free admission to Fayette County residents during two Fayette County Appreciation Days in 2021. The appreciation days will be held on Sunday, March 14 and Sunday, November 14.
Each year, Fallingwater thanks Fayette County residents by inviting them to experience Fallingwater during Fayette County Appreciation Days. County residents had an important role in Fallingwater's history and remain actively involved as staff or volunteers in its ongoing preservation, interpretation and stewardship.
Advance reservations for tours are essential to guarantee admission. Free tours are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents are encouraged to call 724-329-8501 for information and reservations. Fallingwater is closed to all other visitors on these days.
Wright at Polymath Park
Fallingwater also takes tour reservations for Wright at Polymath Park, a collection of two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed houses and two from Peter Berndtson, a Wright apprentice. These homes, while not owned or operated by Fallingwater, provide examples of Wright’s Usonian-style architecture and his visionary design techniques. Polymath Park is located in Acme, Pa., which is approximately 22 miles from Fallingwater.
Tour tickets and more information for Fallingwater and Wright at Polymath Park are available at Fallingwater.org or by calling visitor services at 724-329-8501.
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