View All Articles
Event Recap May 8, 2019

BDS Architecture students tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater

BDS Architecture students took a much anticipated trip last month to Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘Fallingwater’ in Bear Run, PA. Built in 1932, Fallingwater has been identified as one of the single most important pieces of Architecture in American history. In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the Fallingwater house the “best all-time […]

BDS Architecture students took a much anticipated trip last month to Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘Fallingwater’ in Bear Run, PA. Built in 1932, Fallingwater has been identified as one of the single most important pieces of Architecture in American history. In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the Fallingwater house the “best all-time work of American architecture”.

Photo by Nas Evans ’20 – Architecture

Students had a unique opportunity to see this piece of architecture up close and personal. They were guided on a personal tour of the home and the grounds and participated in studio activities related to the site.

“People always hype up the house, but you don’t really ‘get it’ until you experience it in person,” said Nas Evans ’20. “Even though it was small, it was still spacious. I liked how the hallways were narrow, but then opened up to spacious rooms. It was like Wright was trying to find a unique way to make a small space seem big.”

BDS Board member Suzanne Levin-Lapides – Interior Designer at Hall & Company, attended the trip with the group and was able to lend insight on the tour and assist with activities.

“This visit to Fallingwater was my sixth trip to this iconic site, but, became one of my most memorable. First, hearing the site before seeing it with and through the eyes of our Student/Designer will be a “heart-photo” for me,” said Suzanne.

“My group was eager to see and feel the environment, the aura and the quality of Organic Architecture. The interactive assignment was challenging and I could see the Student/Designers ready and eager to create solutions as a team.”

Andre Cooper ’21, was excited about the trip. He has studied Frank Lloyd Wright independently and watched documentaries about the architect. Andre’s goal is to become an photographer of architecture and he appreciated the opportunity to photograph the iconic property.

Mr. Daniel Beatty, who graduated this month from the Morgan State University architecture program, chaperoned a group of students on the tour. His perspective as a Baltimore City Schools student, and then as a college graduate was appreciated.

“It was truly a unique experience because it was my first time at Fallingwater, so as a newcomer, I learned a bunch,” said Mr. Beatty. ” But I was not new to architecture and design, so I could relay new things to the students who I joined on the trip. Both the tour and the BDS students and staff made for an one-of-a-kind experience for me.”

According to Wayne Hudley ’19 (pictured above, left) students were tasked with using a picture for inspiration in creating a model of a balcony that people could stand on to admire the falling water. They used cardboard to create the models.

The takeaway from the trip overall is best summed up by Adrian Phillips ’20:

“The way the property was set up made it unique among mansions. It was built in a setting that you wouldn’t expect, hidden yet sophisticated. It let you believe that anything is possible.”

The trip to Fallingwater was made possible by a generous donor.