Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water
A recent trip to Western Maryland combined great architecture, fine food, serene accomodations, and a few surprises. On a tip from one of the magazine’s favorite architectural photographers Anne Gummerson, I booked a weekend at the Savage River Lodge in the mountains near Frostburg, Maryland. The lodge itself is home to a great restaurant and bar, sitting areas, a library, offices, conference rooms, and an outfitter/gift shop but no accomodations. The lodging, per se, is made of 18 nicely sized, and simply appointed cabins. For a truly relaxing getaway, Savage River Lodge is the place. Miles of hiking (and in the winter cross-country skiing) trails twist out around the lodge and cabins, which are not equipped with TVs, radio, WiFi or any of the other technological trappings of everyday life that can all too easily distract from getting down to the serious business of relaxation. Of course, when the first thing you reach for in the morning is your iPhone, and you are used to being on the go, just relaxing can sometimes be a challenge. Fortunately diversions close to the lodge are numerous, including two Frank Lloyd Wright designed houses located in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands within an hour from the lodge. A visit to these houses makes a great day trip for anyone even mildly interested in architecture — after all Frank Lloyd Wright is America’s most famous architect and not seeing Falling Water at least once would be a shame. But the real surprise was Kentuck Knob, a much lesser known, and privately owned Frank Lloyd Wright house in the Usonian style.
Scultpure in the garden outside Kentuck Knob's visitor center.
I won’t dwell on Kentuck Knob much because I plan to do a fuller story on the house sometime soon, but what I particulary loved about my visit to the place was that it felt more like a “real” house than Falling Water. Owned by Lord Palumbo, a British citizen with a particular interest in the arts and architecture (he used to own Mies van de Rohe’s Farnsworth House), Kentuck Knob houses Palumbo’s extensive collections, and the property itlsef features dozens of large outdoor installations and sculptures collected mostly in Europe and the British Isles.
While Falling Water is iconic, and remains a testament to Wright’s vision and the way the original owner’s lived in the house, it is frozen in time, offering visitors a rare opportunity to see Wright’s most fantastical vision as he intended.Although, paintings, sketches and sculpture throughout the house were selected by the owners, Wright’s vision for any house he designed was wholistic, and as such the furnishings are also of his design, many of them permanently built into the architecture. Odd by modern standards, the interior spaces of Falling Water are designed to juxtapose the sensations of compression and release. Hallways are narrow, ceilings are low, stairs are cramped, and doorways undersized specifically to effect a compressed feeling before opening up to the living spaces and walls of windows that look out onto the surrounding natural world. Stimulating this release is Falling Water at its best, opening the interiors up to nature. More than just a window on nature, though, Falling Water is situated atop a waterfall, becoming part of nature in a way truly unique to this now world famous house on a hillside about an hour and a half outside of Pittsburgh.
View the Falling Water Gallery
Kentuck Knob, on the other hand offers guests a chance to see how the decor of a Frank Lloyd Wright house might evolve over time. Granted, anyone that lives in a house designed by Wright, becomes a curator or caretaker of sorts; it is understood that the home won’t be furnished by La-Z-Boy or filled with French Country reproductions. Lord Palumbo certainly respects the importance of the house and has incorporated many original furnishings designed by Wright or intended for the house, but he also mixes in pieces from his personal collection, many by Wright’s contemporaries, making the house a museum of modern design as much as a Wright museum. Adding to the architectural and historic interest of the house and Palumbo’s collections are the many sculptures situated in an open meadow or installed along woodland paths. Favorites of mine include Ray Smith’s Red Army and two Andy Goldsworthy stone installations.
Ohiopyle Falls
Close by to both Wright houses is Ohiopyle Falls, a delightful spot to picnic before or after touring the homes. If you are staying in the Laurel Highlands, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort is a favorite for combining luxury and family fun, and plenty to do whether your interest is history, nature and wildlife, or the arts. But because the Savage River Lodge was still an hour south and my traveling companion and I wanted to get back in time for an evening hike before dinner, we only stopped by Nemacolin to do a drive-by and check out Falling Rock, the newer Frank Lloyd Wright inspired area of the resort.
After a long day of driving (getting lost), touring Falling Water and Kentuck Knob, and otherwise checking out the Laurel Highlands, I welcomed the slow paced, serenity of the Savage River Lodge, and must admit I skipped that hike. Instead we headed to the lodge and sat out on the porch to enjoy the sunset before dinner. We ate at the lodge both nights and I have to say all the reviews I read before booking the trip were right, the food was great. I especially recommend two of the lodge’s specialties — the Wild Game Sausage Sampler of smoked boar, Italian wild boar, and smoked venison summer sausage and the Savage River Meatloaf made from a variety of wild game, pork and beef blended with fresh herbs, spices, and a touch of local maple syrup, served with caramelized cauliflower, horseradish mashed potatoes, and grilled zucchini. Both the sausage sampler and the meatloaf paired nicely with the well-selected house Cab (Liberty School, 2005). For those of you concerned about the healthfulness of my meatfest, don’t be, I did not have both the sausage sampler and the meatloaf the same night.
View the Western Maryland Gallery
Savage River Lodge Cabin
Of course, the destination is only part of any good getaway and we maximized the trip itself. Conveniently the most direct route between Baltimore and the Savage River Lodge is Route 70, which runs parallel to Route 40, our country’s first highway and National Road. Understanding how our highway system developed is a window into understanding the development of our country itself. The National Road was the first highway built entirely with federal funds, and its route closely parallels the military road opened by George Washington and General Braddock in 1754-55. As such, Revolutionary War and Colonial Era sites as well as vestiges of early rail, commerce, and transportation and scenic points of interest abound. Of particular interest to me were Sideling Hill, where the highway cuts through a mountain exposing millions of years of geologic history; Casselman River Bridge erected in 1813; Maryland’s last remaining toll house in LaVale built in 1833; and nearby LaVale in an area called ‘The Narrows’ a cliff-like stone outcropping known as ‘Lovers’ Leap’ and linked to the legend of a war captian and an Indian princess. Also, if you have time I highly recommend stopping in Frederick to pop in on the new Loft at AI. This six-month old endeavor is a great resource for designer home furnishings at discounted prices. Featuring an urban eclectic mix of designer home furnishings and antique furnishings in a renovated historic cigar factory setting, AI offers a fabulous variety of well-priced and stylish furnishings, accessories, and art. Even if you aren’t headed out to Western Maryland for a weekend getaway, AI is worth the trip to Frederick on its own.
For More Information:
Falling Water: fallingwater.org
Kentuck Knob: kentuckknob.com
Savage River Lodge: savageriverlodge.com
