One of America's most innovative architects, Frank Lloyd Wright experimented with new ways to design homes and integrate them into nature. Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, and the houses at Polymath Park offer prime examples of his organic architecture. Visit all three locations on an overnight tour to the scenic Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, which is especially lovely colored in its autumnal palette. Tour leader Bill Keene, a writer and lecturer on architecture, urban history, and city planning, has a special interest in Wright.
Fallingwater, perhaps the architect’s best-known structure, was designed in 1936 as a mountain retreat for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh. Cantilevered over a waterfall, the home is one of the most dramatic and frequently photographed works of architecture. It is also the only major Wright house with its setting, original furnishings, and artworks intact. And it is one of 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States.
Constructed of Tidewater red cypress and native fieldstone, the house on Kentuck Knob almost appears to be part of the mountain on which it is built. It was designed by Wright in 1953 for the I.N. Hagan family and now houses furnishings and art of the current owners, Lord Peter and Lady Hayat Palumbo.
At historic Polymath Park near Fallingwater, view two houses designed for everyday living in the 1950s: the Usonian-style Duncan House and the Mäntylä House, both of which were relocated here. Lunch is included before leaving Polymath Park.
Enjoy a one-night stay at the Comfort Inn Connellsville. All admissions, tours, lodging, meals (two lunches and one breakfast and dinner), and gratuities are included.
Note: Not all areas of Fallingwater are accessible for visitors with disabilities.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit*
Know Before You Go
- Cost includes bus transportation, lodging, all activities, gratuities, tours, and the following meals: two lunches, one breakfast, and one dinner.
- Overnight accommodations are at the Comfort Inn Connellsville.
- Tour departs by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., NW, with a pickup stop at I-270 Exit 26 Urbana carpool lot at approximately 8:10 a.m.
- Single-room supplement $60 (factored into the Single Room Member and Single Room Non-Member pricing).
- Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis) if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement otherwise.
- Detailed information is emailed to registrants about four weeks prior to departure.
- Participants are advised to purchase travel insurance for overnight and multi-day tours from a provider of your choice. Travel insurance provides additional coverage against unforeseen incidents that require last-minute cancellations.
General Information
- Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Friday, September 27, 2024.
- The tour departs by motorcoach from downtown Washington, DC with a designated secondary pick-up outside the city. Content delivered by the study leader on the way to the destination, after the secondary pick-up, is an integral part of the study tour experience. Meeting the group once the tour is en route is discouraged.
- Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
- As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
- For additional tour information:
*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1 elective credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.
