Pennsylvania
Frank Lloyd Wright: Revolutionary Contributions to Modern Architecture
Program No. 1885RJ
Join experts in the Laurel Mountains to immerse yourself in the works of Frank Lloyd Wright as you explore three of his most iconic designs, including a visit to Fallingwater.
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5 days
4 nights
12 meals
4B 1BR 3L 4D
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Tour, Welcome Dinner
Mount Pleasant, PA
2
Polymath Park's Duncan House and Mantyla House; Documentary
Mount Pleasant, PA
3
Yoga, Morning Lectures, Fallingwater visit, Documentary
Mount Pleasant, PA
4
Morning Lectures, Kentuck Knob House, dinner off-site
Mount Pleasant, PA
5
"Saving Fallingwater" & Elsie Henderson; Program Concludes
Mount Pleasant, PA
At a Glance
Frank Lloyd Wright is considered by some to be the greatest American architect. Explore the many facets of his contributions to modern architecture in discussions with experts representing three Wright-designed houses in this region. Step inside these exquisite homes to compare and contrast them while you consider the 75-year career of the architect, a working life that spanned two world wars.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Moderate walking and standing on each of the field trips. Morning lectures followed by afternoon field trips to the houses to experience them as works of art. There are approximately 100 stairs to negotiate at Fallingwater.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Visit Fallingwater, Wright's best essay on the harmony between architecture and nature.
- Admire a superb example of Wright’s organic architecture at Kentuck Knob, a private residence blending impeccably with its surroundings.
- At Duncan House, marvel at the fascinating story of this home’s journey from Illinois to Pennsylvania.
General Notes
The Retreat Difference: This is a Road Scholar Retreat program. Our Retreat programs offer a tranquil respite from daily life in locales that lend themselves to outdoor exploration, reflection, or study. The accommodations may be basic in nature, but the facilities offer communal spaces to gather and to relax. During the week, opportunities usually exist for some combination of light exercise, a locally sourced meal, or evening entertainment.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Amy Humbert
Amy Humbert has been employed in the Fallingwater Education department since 1986 and currently manages the school and outreach programs that are offered. She is a second-generation employee of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Her late father, Frank “Lee” Lowden, was a naturalist at Ferncliff in Ohiopyle and also at the Bear Run Nature Reserve adjacent to Fallingwater. Amy lives close by in Ohiopyle with her husband, Roger, who was employed for a number of years in Fallingwater’s Preservation department.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Amy Humbert
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Amy Humbert has been employed in the Fallingwater Education department since 1986 and currently manages the school and outreach programs that are offered. She is a second-generation employee of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Her late father, Frank “Lee” Lowden, was a naturalist at Ferncliff in Ohiopyle and also at the Bear Run Nature Reserve adjacent to Fallingwater. Amy lives close by in Ohiopyle with her husband, Roger, who was employed for a number of years in Fallingwater’s Preservation department.
Scott Wise
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Scott Wise is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University. He has been a theatrical professional for 30 years, including a stint as Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh International Folk Theater, and was the recipient of a Choreographers Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Scott is an amateur potter.
Mary Kaufman
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Mary Kaufman holds degrees in journalism-professional writing and in communications-PR. She began her career at VisitPittsburgh and is the new program director at Laurelville. A Penn State Master Gardener, she finds meaning in volunteering, teaching, and gardening. Mary co-owns a small plant nursery and enjoys garden design, biking, hiking, yoga, reading, cooking, and being outdoors.
Robin Albright
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Robin Albright is a registered yoga teacher (RYT 200) from Pennsylvania who works full-time in higher education. She has been teaching yoga for three years and practicing it for more than 20. When she is not on the mat, she might be weight training, trail running and hiking, playing tennis, or spinning. She enjoys reading, attending concerts and music festivals, and playing with her dogs. She loves helping people develop strength and self-love with a mindful practice that threads together breathwork and physical postures.
Daniel Cocks
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Daniel Cocks is Executive Director of the Fayette County Cultural Trust. One of their projects is the Connellsville Canteen, a reconstructed B&O (Baltimore & Ohio) Railroad Station that highlights the “canteen ladies” who fed the troops during World War II. The museum showcases thousands of WWII artifacts. It also features a display on the late John Woodruff, one of Connellsville's residents who won a gold medal during the 800 meter race in the 1936 Olympics. Another highlight is Harry Clark's Indian Creek Valley Railroad display.
Lisa Hall
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Lisa Hall is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College with degrees in Fine Art and Business Administration. Currently, she is an educator and team member of the development department at Fallingwater. Previously, she owned and operated a hardware store and café. When she isn't working, she is hiking or creating in stone and metal.
Suggested Reading List
(2 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Frank Lloyd Wright: Revolutionary Contributions to Modern Architecture
Program Number: 1885
The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright
Neil Levine's study of the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, beginning with his work in Oak Park in the late 1880s and culminating in the construction of the Guggenheim museum in New York and the Marin County Civic Center in the 1950s, if the first comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the architect's entire career since the opening of the Wright Archives over a decade ago. The most celebrated and prolific of modern architects, Wright built more than four hundred buildings and designed at least twice as many more. The characteristic features of his work--the open plan, dynamic space, fragmented volumes, natural materials, and integral structure--established the basic way that we think about modern architecture. For a general audience, this engaging book provides an introduction to Wright's remarkable accomplishments, as seen against the background of his eventful and often tragic life. For the architect or the architectural historian, it will be an important source of new insights into the development of Wright's whole body of work. It integrates biographical and historical material in a chronologically ordered framework that makes sense of his enormously varied career, and it provides over four hundred illustrations running parallel to the text.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House and its History
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.