Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House and Its History [Hardcover]

Donald Hoffmann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1985 | ISBN-10: 0844657743 | ISBN-13: 978-0844657745 | Edition: 2 Revised

A total revision of the standard document on Fallingwater, the boldest, most personal architectural statement of Wright's mature years. Updated with valuable new material from the recently opened Frank Lloyd Wright Archives, the book gives special emphasis to Fallingwater's architectural innovations. "Fascinating." — The New York Times. 116 illustrations.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc; 2 Revised edition (March 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844657743
• ISBN-13: 978-0844657745
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,476,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Donald Hoffmann served as art and architecture critic of The Kansas City Star from 1965 to 1990. Born in Springfield, IL, in 1933, he was raised about two miles from Frank Lloyd Wright's house for Susan Lawrence Dana. He encountered Wright's house for Fred C. Robie when he entered the University of Chicago in 1949. After working for the City News Bureau of Chicago and the Illinois State Register in Springfield, he joined The Star in 1956. In the early 1960s he began independent studies of the architecture of John Wellborn Root and of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Awful Problems of Turning Genius into Reality, July 9, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House and Its History, Second, Revised Edition (Dover Architecture) (Paperback)

This book is one of the best I have seen for describing in detail the challenges of creating one of America's architectural landmarks. Anyone who reads this book will be reminded of Thomas Edison's comment about genius being 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration.

Fallingwater came as a commission after one of the longest dry spells of Frank Lloyd Wright's career. Despite having no work to do, no money, and few prospects, Mr. Wright dawdled with the project while trying to sell his client, Edgar Kaufmann, as many other projects as possible. Contemporary accounts suggest that Wright only began sketching something on paper when Mr. Kaufmann was about to arrive at Taliesin in Wisconsin, where Wright did his work.

Mr. Kaufman was not an easy client. He was the head of a major department store, and was used to getting his own way. Client and architect often clashed, with bent feelings on both sides. Independent "experts" got involved who also added to the controversy, mistakes, and misunderstandings. Mr. Kaufmann deserves credit, though, for sticking with Wright as the costs soared way above the original budget for this most unique house.

Interestingly, the two were brought together by Mr. Kaufmann's son who had come to study with Wright in Taliesin. The book contains a brief introduction by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. who ultimately gave the home to a local nature conservancy.

Even without the challenges of the human relationships, Fallingwater was a most ambitious commission. In a remote part of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, Fallingwater is sited on top of a waterfall. The potential for the water to undermine the house is enormous. Mr. Wright also wanted to keep as many of the original rocks and trees as possible. The site survey was often wrong, and the designs had to be adjusted to reflect the reality. The design also provided other unusual problems, and the first cantilever was built incorrectly due to changes made under Mr. Kaufmann's direction.

The book contains a wealth of maps, letters, summaries of interviews with those who worked on the project, drawings, plans, and photographs of the work in progress in black and white. This detail brings the challenges to life in a very real way.

The fascinating part of this book to me is that Fallingwater's final effects are the opposite of its creation. The home seems to float above the water, like a mirage. It seems to exude tranquility and peace. Yet, its every stage of movement toward becoming a reality was like a Sumo wrestling match with enormous heavyweight egos and ideas colliding at high speed and with little regard for the impact on the other fellow.

As much as I love Fallingwater, I love understanding more about how it was created even more. Anyone who wants to leave a mark of greatness behind should read this book.

After you finish thinking through the implications of Mr. Wright's vision and ways of implementing it, I suggest that you think about your own personal life and work. Where are you lacking in vision? Where are you lacking in the processes to implement worthwhile visions?

Turn your dreams into beautiful realities . . . for everyone!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History book on Fallingwater, August 1, 2000

By 

Ronald Stephano "Ron Stephano" (Luxembourg) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House and Its History, Second, Revised Edition (Dover Architecture) (Paperback)

Of all the books on Fallingwater, this is the best when you want to know about how the house came into being. I have 2 copies of the book, one that accompanies me on all my travelling, and one to keep in my library. I have at least read it 8 to 10 times, and already look forward to the next time. The black and white photography is quite good, although the book would even be better with some color takes. Hoffman did a great job researching on the subject, and reading the book, it occurs that this was no easy task to get everything in order, chronoligically.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House & It's History, July 23, 2000

By 

Patrick Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House and Its History, Second, Revised Edition (Dover Architecture) (Paperback)

There are a number of books on Fallingwater, considered to be the most famous private residence next to the United States presidential White House. The book written by Donald Hoffman, with an introduction by Edgar Kaufman, Jr., son of the owner Edgar Kaufman, is informative with details about the history and geographic location of the house in Western Pennsylvania. The book includes preliminary drawings of the early phase of the project and letters written between Wright, Kaufman and the builder describing problems encountered during construction. Over one hundred photographs picture the construction and its exterior and interior detailing.