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Fallingwater Rising: Frank Lloyd Wright, E. J. Kaufmann, and America's Most Extraordinary House
Fallingwater Rising is a biography not of a person but of the most famous house of the twentieth century. Scholars and the public have long extolled the house that Frank Lloyd Wright perched over a Pennsylvania waterfall in 1937, but the full story has never been told.
When he got the commission to design the house, Wright was nearing seventy, his youth and his early fame long gone. It was the Depression, and Wright had no work in sight. Into his orbit stepped Edgar J. Kaufmann, a Pittsburgh department-store mogul–“the smartest retailer in America”–and a philanthropist with the burning ambition to build a world-famous work of architecture. It was an unlikely the Jewish merchant who had little concern for modern architecture and the brilliant modernist who was leery of Jews. But the two men collaborated to produce an extraordinary building of lasting architectural significance that brought international fame to them both and confirmed Wright’s position as the greatest architect of the twentieth century.
Fallingwater Rising is also an enthralling family drama, involving Kaufmann, his beautiful cousin/wife, Liliane, and their son, Edgar Jr., whose own role in the creation of Fallingwater and its ongoing reputation is central to the story. Involving such key figures of the l930s as Frida Kahlo, Albert Einstein, Henry R. Luce, William Randolph Hearst, Ayn Rand, and Franklin Roosevelt, Fallingwater Rising shows us how E. J. Kaufmann’s house became not just Wright’s masterpiece but a fundamental icon of American life.
One of the pleasures of the book is its rich evocation of the upper-crust society of Pittsburgh–Carnegie, Frick, the Mellons–a society that was socially reactionary but luxury-loving and baronial in its tastes, hobbies, and sexual attitudes (Kaufmann had so many mistresses that his store issued them distinctive charge plates they could use without paying).
Franklin Toker has been studying Fallingwater for eighteen years. No one but he could have given us this compelling saga of the most famous private house in the world and the dramatic personal story of the fascinating people who made and used it.
A major contribution to both architectural and social history.
When he got the commission to design the house, Wright was nearing seventy, his youth and his early fame long gone. It was the Depression, and Wright had no work in sight. Into his orbit stepped Edgar J. Kaufmann, a Pittsburgh department-store mogul–“the smartest retailer in America”–and a philanthropist with the burning ambition to build a world-famous work of architecture. It was an unlikely the Jewish merchant who had little concern for modern architecture and the brilliant modernist who was leery of Jews. But the two men collaborated to produce an extraordinary building of lasting architectural significance that brought international fame to them both and confirmed Wright’s position as the greatest architect of the twentieth century.
Fallingwater Rising is also an enthralling family drama, involving Kaufmann, his beautiful cousin/wife, Liliane, and their son, Edgar Jr., whose own role in the creation of Fallingwater and its ongoing reputation is central to the story. Involving such key figures of the l930s as Frida Kahlo, Albert Einstein, Henry R. Luce, William Randolph Hearst, Ayn Rand, and Franklin Roosevelt, Fallingwater Rising shows us how E. J. Kaufmann’s house became not just Wright’s masterpiece but a fundamental icon of American life.
One of the pleasures of the book is its rich evocation of the upper-crust society of Pittsburgh–Carnegie, Frick, the Mellons–a society that was socially reactionary but luxury-loving and baronial in its tastes, hobbies, and sexual attitudes (Kaufmann had so many mistresses that his store issued them distinctive charge plates they could use without paying).
Franklin Toker has been studying Fallingwater for eighteen years. No one but he could have given us this compelling saga of the most famous private house in the world and the dramatic personal story of the fascinating people who made and used it.
A major contribution to both architectural and social history.
496 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
January 1, 2013
This book is about much more than the construction of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous house. I found it a fascinating and absorbing study of the history of the Western Pennsylvania region in the first half of the 1900s, the Kaufmanns, etc.
I don't recall hearing much about this era when I was in school (in the Pittsburgh area), so I found it very interesting where others might have found it a bit tedious. I need to dig up some more biographies of the Pittsburgh "movers and shakers" of that time.
Unfortunately, it's a book, so it can't give you the visceral thrill of actually experiencing Fallingwater itself, but it really brought home to me how the house was tailored to the needs of the family and the environment.
I don't recall hearing much about this era when I was in school (in the Pittsburgh area), so I found it very interesting where others might have found it a bit tedious. I need to dig up some more biographies of the Pittsburgh "movers and shakers" of that time.
Unfortunately, it's a book, so it can't give you the visceral thrill of actually experiencing Fallingwater itself, but it really brought home to me how the house was tailored to the needs of the family and the environment.
February 14, 2025
The story of Fallingwater is examined here from so many aspects-- design, cultural and financial context, architectural detail and relevance-- that one might worry the book would contain too many details and delve into minutiae as thorough-going studies often do. That is not the case however. Toker’s narrative is compelling from page one and ties all elements and characters together in an informative and entertaining fashion. Readers learn about the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the patrons of the house, E.J. Kaufmann and family of Pittsburgh department store fame, and the Depression era in which it was built. There is architectural detail about Fallingwater and other model homes of the period. There is Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh history. The history of the history of Fallingwater is also examined within and Toker presents arguments and counter-arguments stemming from the interpretation of those histories. In short, this book is everything you wanted to know about Fallingwater but it is about much, much more, so even you’re not fanatical about the muse of the story itself, the book is well worth the time invested in reading it. Enjoy.
April 28, 2018
This is a really solid book about Fallingwater the home, but even more about the two key people who made it happen, namely E.J. Kaufmann, a retail magnate in Pittsburgh who commissioned the house, and Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed it. The book spends a good amount of space on describing the house and what made it ground-breaking then and still fresh and desirable today. But it spends an equal amount of Kaufmann's fascinating life, the milieu in which he operated, and the back-forth between him and Wright that led to the creation of the house. And along the way, it explodes some of the myths that Kaufmann's son built up about himself and his alleged role in inspiring and influencing the design of the house.
The book can be tough going in spots because it assumes a high level of familiarity with Fallingwater but also with architectural and design trends from the late 19th century through 1940, or even beyond. I'm interested in architecture and have seen many Wright buildings as well as other famous homes and buildings, but I didn't know enough to keep up with the references in the book. The many photos helped a little, but I would have been helped with more definition and description of Modern Architecture as it evolved from Europeans (mostly Germans), and the exact things that it tried to change about conventional architecture that preceded it. And that would also have then helped explain Wright's push back against some of what he saw as excesses in the austerity of Modern styles.
Anyway, it's still fascinating. Kaufmann's life is remarkable, as he was a hugely successful merchant who also was a playboy, a civic leader and, ultimately, commissioned three of the most influential private homes in America in the 20th century. And he did this while being shunned most of the time by fellow Pittsburgh industrial elites because he was Jewish. In fact, the description of the wealth that emerged in Pittsburgh in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and how various families handled it (Rockefeller, Frick, Mellon, Kaufmann, etc.) is the biggest revelation in the book. And one of the great things about the book is that the author tells you which buildings from that era are still standing -- a definite road trip.
Kaufmann's downtown department store was a showpiece through the first half of the 20th century, and he was considered one of America's most innovative retailers. We think that people shop as a form of entertainment today, but this book explains that Americans have been doing it for a long time. Kaufmann's store had extraordinary design internally, which changed to keep ahead of fashion, numerous boutique stores-within-a-store, restaurants, and more. You could spend all day there, and apparently people did.
So Kaufmann brought that sensibility of appealing to an audience to the rest of his life, whether pushing for civic improvement projects (parks, opera house, etc.) or his homes. His first big home was designed in the old style, sort a medieval manor on the edge of town, and it received major photo essays in national magazines. But then in the mid-1930s, he contacted Wright and asked him to design a weekend home on a piece of property next to a small waterfall about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh. As he and Wright toured the site, Wright decided to build a home over part of the waterfall, rather than on the hillside facing the fall. And thus, a national treasure was born. Remarkably, Kaufmann 10 years later commissioned another vacation house in Palm Springs, California, with Richard Neutra that became as much of an iconic example of stripped-down modern architecture as Fallingwater is of a naturalist approach. And the author of this book explains how one man could commission and love both houses -- not because he lacked taste and got lucky, but because he was a showman and a populist, and he could adapt.
The first half of the book leads up to Fallingwater, as it details Kaufmann's life and the Wright's life, and it explains briefly (there are many Wright biographies) how Wright broke new ground in home design in the early part of the century and then was considered washed-up by 1930, as his designs were seen as old-fashioned and dull compared to the sharp edges, metal and bright colors of modern design. But Fallingwater was Wright's resurrection, and the book explains the huge amount of thinking and innovation that went into it. You really get an appreciation for how much creativity goes into designing a house, and then how that creativity must be exercised again and again as practical problems come up.
The book also is a lovely study of not only how Wright worked (the crazy apprenticeship program he created at Taliesin, which survives to this day), but also how Wright and Kaufmann worked together but also badgered each other over and over again. The letters reprinted in the book are astounding. If I got one letter like that from someone, I'd never speak to him again. And yet these guys circled back to each other to finish Fallingwater and to do designs for a half-dozen major properties in Pittsburgh that, sadly, never were built. And these letters dripping with venom also contained the kindest effusions, too. Fascinating.
The book can be tough going in spots because it assumes a high level of familiarity with Fallingwater but also with architectural and design trends from the late 19th century through 1940, or even beyond. I'm interested in architecture and have seen many Wright buildings as well as other famous homes and buildings, but I didn't know enough to keep up with the references in the book. The many photos helped a little, but I would have been helped with more definition and description of Modern Architecture as it evolved from Europeans (mostly Germans), and the exact things that it tried to change about conventional architecture that preceded it. And that would also have then helped explain Wright's push back against some of what he saw as excesses in the austerity of Modern styles.
Anyway, it's still fascinating. Kaufmann's life is remarkable, as he was a hugely successful merchant who also was a playboy, a civic leader and, ultimately, commissioned three of the most influential private homes in America in the 20th century. And he did this while being shunned most of the time by fellow Pittsburgh industrial elites because he was Jewish. In fact, the description of the wealth that emerged in Pittsburgh in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and how various families handled it (Rockefeller, Frick, Mellon, Kaufmann, etc.) is the biggest revelation in the book. And one of the great things about the book is that the author tells you which buildings from that era are still standing -- a definite road trip.
Kaufmann's downtown department store was a showpiece through the first half of the 20th century, and he was considered one of America's most innovative retailers. We think that people shop as a form of entertainment today, but this book explains that Americans have been doing it for a long time. Kaufmann's store had extraordinary design internally, which changed to keep ahead of fashion, numerous boutique stores-within-a-store, restaurants, and more. You could spend all day there, and apparently people did.
So Kaufmann brought that sensibility of appealing to an audience to the rest of his life, whether pushing for civic improvement projects (parks, opera house, etc.) or his homes. His first big home was designed in the old style, sort a medieval manor on the edge of town, and it received major photo essays in national magazines. But then in the mid-1930s, he contacted Wright and asked him to design a weekend home on a piece of property next to a small waterfall about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh. As he and Wright toured the site, Wright decided to build a home over part of the waterfall, rather than on the hillside facing the fall. And thus, a national treasure was born. Remarkably, Kaufmann 10 years later commissioned another vacation house in Palm Springs, California, with Richard Neutra that became as much of an iconic example of stripped-down modern architecture as Fallingwater is of a naturalist approach. And the author of this book explains how one man could commission and love both houses -- not because he lacked taste and got lucky, but because he was a showman and a populist, and he could adapt.
The first half of the book leads up to Fallingwater, as it details Kaufmann's life and the Wright's life, and it explains briefly (there are many Wright biographies) how Wright broke new ground in home design in the early part of the century and then was considered washed-up by 1930, as his designs were seen as old-fashioned and dull compared to the sharp edges, metal and bright colors of modern design. But Fallingwater was Wright's resurrection, and the book explains the huge amount of thinking and innovation that went into it. You really get an appreciation for how much creativity goes into designing a house, and then how that creativity must be exercised again and again as practical problems come up.
The book also is a lovely study of not only how Wright worked (the crazy apprenticeship program he created at Taliesin, which survives to this day), but also how Wright and Kaufmann worked together but also badgered each other over and over again. The letters reprinted in the book are astounding. If I got one letter like that from someone, I'd never speak to him again. And yet these guys circled back to each other to finish Fallingwater and to do designs for a half-dozen major properties in Pittsburgh that, sadly, never were built. And these letters dripping with venom also contained the kindest effusions, too. Fascinating.
August 7, 2021
Dense research made this a riveting story. Never thought I'd be so intrigued reading about reinforced concrete, every detail about building this incredible house, the characters! I'd been to Fallingwater and did have a spiritual experience. Now having read the book, I can't wait to go back!
July 11, 2021
Fallingwater Rising packs a tremendous amount of information, research, drama and many personalities into the conception, birth and ultimate fame of an American architectural icon. Author Toker peeks behind the curtain for some entertaining gossip; he also tries to read between the lines of documents and letters to tell the story of two mountainous egos--Frank Lloyd Wright and E.J. Kaufmann-- and their frequent clashes before during and post-construction. Sprinkled with photos and drawings (that would have benefited from better research as companions of the text and the building site and design).
The last few chapters do make the book a bit bloated: the detour and details of Kaufmann's Palm Springs house designed by master architect Richard Neutra is an unnecessary chapter for this book; the author clearly did no favor in his coverage and commentary about Edgar Kaufmann Jr. during and after his father's lifetime; and the catalog of multicultural art (much of which is no longer connected to the house) could have been better done and illustrated.
Fans and followers of FLW and Fallingwater will not be disappointed.
The last few chapters do make the book a bit bloated: the detour and details of Kaufmann's Palm Springs house designed by master architect Richard Neutra is an unnecessary chapter for this book; the author clearly did no favor in his coverage and commentary about Edgar Kaufmann Jr. during and after his father's lifetime; and the catalog of multicultural art (much of which is no longer connected to the house) could have been better done and illustrated.
Fans and followers of FLW and Fallingwater will not be disappointed.
October 23, 2021
A comprehensive history of this well-known landmark, but those without a passing understanding of architectural history might find a bit tedious.
September 18, 2023
The author has web an interesting story from not much original source material. I wonder if the author's hypothesis that the role Judaism played motivated EJ Kaufmann's ambition and if Judaism was equally the dilemma for Kauffmann Jr. The assertions are made but the documentation seems thin.
This is a good read.
I appreciated the context that Kaufmann was a serial builder - Fallingwater was not just a one-off vanity endeavor. He moved on to his next project, a house in Palm Springs, quickly. The tit-for-tat correspondence and meetings with Frank Lloyd Wright were well documented and fascinating - it is too bad there was no access to the dialog from Kaufmann's side. Kaufmann Jr.'s put-down of Wright seems cruel. There must have been previous unsatisfactory interactions between the two to justify this tone-deaf correspondence.
I'm off to the Laurel Highlands for my second visit to Fallingwater!
This is a good read.
I appreciated the context that Kaufmann was a serial builder - Fallingwater was not just a one-off vanity endeavor. He moved on to his next project, a house in Palm Springs, quickly. The tit-for-tat correspondence and meetings with Frank Lloyd Wright were well documented and fascinating - it is too bad there was no access to the dialog from Kaufmann's side. Kaufmann Jr.'s put-down of Wright seems cruel. There must have been previous unsatisfactory interactions between the two to justify this tone-deaf correspondence.
I'm off to the Laurel Highlands for my second visit to Fallingwater!
June 20, 2023
This is a book for architects and architectural historians. The level of detail and scholarship is amazing. However, it was all lost on me b/c I am neither of those two professions. I was interested in the Life of EJ, the relationship between Wright and the Kaufmans. I could not tell if the author liked EJ, Edgar, or Wright. Toker certainly respected all of them. Toker was and is definitely in love with the house. To say this was a love letter to Fallingwater would be an understatement. I visited Fallingwater in 2021. We could not get tickets for an inside tour, but walking around the outside and the grounds was fantastic. There is something spiritual about seeing this home attached to the side of a hill of rock, with water at its base. I would recommend a visit to anyone.
November 6, 2023
Toker presents a very detailed history of all the elements that went into the building of Fallingwater. He goes well beyond the house itself and touches on both the Kaufmann family and Wright's history leading up to their commission. There's a lot of drama between Wright and EJ Kaufmann, and within the Kaufmann family itself. Toker covers the house itself, both inside and out. He covers the history of Bear Run and the environment where the house was built. I definitely learned more about everything *other* than the house but there was still enough detail about Fallingwater to keep things interesting.
I was a little disappointed that the book ended before the serious efforts to reconstruct the house and fix the cantilever issues, but it can't be helped given when it was written.
I was a little disappointed that the book ended before the serious efforts to reconstruct the house and fix the cantilever issues, but it can't be helped given when it was written.
July 10, 2023
A thorough history of the construction of Fallingwater that successfully seeks to set the story straight on false narratives surrounding the construction of the house and seeks to explain what makes it such an icon.
The editing is not great. The chronology jumps around, and information is repeated. The book is wordy and could have been pared back considerably. The author is fixated on the Fallingwater's influence on Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" and brings it up at multiple instances to much annoyance.
Overall an insightful book on the genesis of a landmark piece of architecture and the people who made it happen.
The editing is not great. The chronology jumps around, and information is repeated. The book is wordy and could have been pared back considerably. The author is fixated on the Fallingwater's influence on Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" and brings it up at multiple instances to much annoyance.
Overall an insightful book on the genesis of a landmark piece of architecture and the people who made it happen.
February 23, 2025
I read this book in a book club dedicated to architecture. I will not read this author again. This was a very wordy book that went into many different directions. Reading the book was tedious and annoying. I did learn a tremdous of material reagarding Fallingwater. However this account could have been written in 250 pages not 400! Would not recommend.
August 31, 2019
A great book about a house that’s excited me since I discovered it for myself in high school. Parts of it I would need to read again to fully grasp, but that’s due more to the complex subject matter and Toker’s assessment on an artistic basis than any failure on his part in the writing.
February 16, 2020
3.75 This book is incredibly well- researched, I really enjoyed how Toker explained the factors that came together to create Fallingwater, however, it could have been edited down. I felt like there were a lot of details included that didn't have much bearing on the overall story.
November 7, 2022
Staple book for FLW fan.
January 10, 2023
4.5/5 stars
November 4, 2025
Anyone who ever tours Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Bear Run, Pennsylvania, knows the power of the grand architect’s most celebrated house—and even many people who have never seen it in person know about the magnificent house perched over a waterfall. I recently had the chance to visit it myself for the first time. As of the time of my visit (August 2025), the property is undergoing an extensive restoration project. Despite the scaffolding and workmen sawing and hammering all around, the house still awes and tours go on fairly unobstructed.
I picked up Franklin Toker’s Fallingwater Rising: Frank Lloyd Wright, E. J. Kaufmann, and America’s Most Extraordinary House in the site’s gorgeous bookstore, and I’m glad I did. This is the perfect book to follow up my experience, which fortunately started with a few days in Pittsburgh, the city where E. J. Kaufmann’s family established the famous department store that was an icon of the city for decades (until it fell, along with most other stores of its kind, in the early 2000s). Toker, an art historian who had previously written extensively on the architecture of Pittsburgh, tells the enthralling story of how Fallingwater came to be—and why it sits so far above almost every other architectural masterpiece of the 20th century in the public imagination. Along the way, he tells the story of the complicated relationships between Wright and Kaufmann and Kaufmann’s son, Edgar Jr., who had his own impact on the house and its legacy after their death.
This book is beautifully descriptive, energetic, a little gossipy, and very juicy. Toker certainly knows how important it is to convey the extraordinary aspects of how this house came to be at all—there was much luck and good timing and chance involved—and how the house became iconic even before it was finished. Toker also dispels many myths about the house from the beginning—and perhaps the most important one was the idea that Edgar Jr. was more responsible for making Fallingwater happen than his father was. While Toker gives Edgar Jr. his due, he sets the record straight—that E. J. not only was instrumental in the project, he also was Wright’s most important client and patron.
[One thing to note: the book was published over 20 years ago, and it would benefit from an updated edition. It’s almost stunning to note all these changes since the time when it was written—before the consolidation and demise of big department stores, for instance, or current updates to Fallingwater and the way it is presented.]
You don’t have to be an architectural aficionado to appreciate the history told in this book. In fact, he provides a breezy overview of the International Style that Wright felt he was competing with and other movements contending for dominance in the early 20th century, all part of what make Fallingwater so captivatingly different. For me, the tour I took is far more meaningful now than it was when I was at the site, and I’m already planning my next visit.
I picked up Franklin Toker’s Fallingwater Rising: Frank Lloyd Wright, E. J. Kaufmann, and America’s Most Extraordinary House in the site’s gorgeous bookstore, and I’m glad I did. This is the perfect book to follow up my experience, which fortunately started with a few days in Pittsburgh, the city where E. J. Kaufmann’s family established the famous department store that was an icon of the city for decades (until it fell, along with most other stores of its kind, in the early 2000s). Toker, an art historian who had previously written extensively on the architecture of Pittsburgh, tells the enthralling story of how Fallingwater came to be—and why it sits so far above almost every other architectural masterpiece of the 20th century in the public imagination. Along the way, he tells the story of the complicated relationships between Wright and Kaufmann and Kaufmann’s son, Edgar Jr., who had his own impact on the house and its legacy after their death.
This book is beautifully descriptive, energetic, a little gossipy, and very juicy. Toker certainly knows how important it is to convey the extraordinary aspects of how this house came to be at all—there was much luck and good timing and chance involved—and how the house became iconic even before it was finished. Toker also dispels many myths about the house from the beginning—and perhaps the most important one was the idea that Edgar Jr. was more responsible for making Fallingwater happen than his father was. While Toker gives Edgar Jr. his due, he sets the record straight—that E. J. not only was instrumental in the project, he also was Wright’s most important client and patron.
[One thing to note: the book was published over 20 years ago, and it would benefit from an updated edition. It’s almost stunning to note all these changes since the time when it was written—before the consolidation and demise of big department stores, for instance, or current updates to Fallingwater and the way it is presented.]
You don’t have to be an architectural aficionado to appreciate the history told in this book. In fact, he provides a breezy overview of the International Style that Wright felt he was competing with and other movements contending for dominance in the early 20th century, all part of what make Fallingwater so captivatingly different. For me, the tour I took is far more meaningful now than it was when I was at the site, and I’m already planning my next visit.
March 6, 2017
When I was younger, my mom took my sister and I on a trip to visit Fallingwater, the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in Pennsylvania. I remember the sheer amazement I felt as I stood on the banks of Bear Run and took in the sight of the architectural masterpiece in front of me. Years later, I am still fascinated by Frank Lloyd Wright and this home. This book was a surprise that I found while browsing at my local library, and I am so happy that I had the chance to read it. The author goes into incredible detail describing the origins of the design, as well as the construction of the home. Definitely a must-read for any Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast.
October 12, 2013
I bought this book at my first trip to Fallingwater. I started reading it a few months ago because we took my parents to Fallingwater for their birthdays. I really appreciated this book because it was more than just an explanation of the house - it provided context for what this house meant to Frank Lloyd Wright's career, where it came in his career path, and it discussed Edgar Kaufmann who played a major role in shaping Fallingwater and Kaufmann's son who helped preserve it. Toker helped explain the major architectural trends that were shaping architecture at the time and explained how they influenced Wright and how Wright also bucked them.
I also appreciate that Toker gave an unvarnished look at the major participants and the house - discussing issues such as design flaws in the house, issues with construction and issues with construction administration. He also talked about Wright - what helped make his genius, but also the tremendous personality traits and flaws that others had to deal with. I appreciated a good discussion on Kaufmann, who's role is often misinterpreted and/or unappreciated. Toker also explained the context for how Modern Art and Architecture was used from a marketing perspective by department stores and used by Kaufmann to try to gain entry into Pittsburgh society.
The Fallingwater tour guide was not as keen on the book, and I think part of the reason is that Toker pokes holes in some of Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.'s claims about Fallingwater - Kaufmann, Jr., actually trained a lot of the tour guides and provided a lot of the information about the house to the Western PA Conservency who manages it.
I also appreciate that Toker gave an unvarnished look at the major participants and the house - discussing issues such as design flaws in the house, issues with construction and issues with construction administration. He also talked about Wright - what helped make his genius, but also the tremendous personality traits and flaws that others had to deal with. I appreciated a good discussion on Kaufmann, who's role is often misinterpreted and/or unappreciated. Toker also explained the context for how Modern Art and Architecture was used from a marketing perspective by department stores and used by Kaufmann to try to gain entry into Pittsburgh society.
The Fallingwater tour guide was not as keen on the book, and I think part of the reason is that Toker pokes holes in some of Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.'s claims about Fallingwater - Kaufmann, Jr., actually trained a lot of the tour guides and provided a lot of the information about the house to the Western PA Conservency who manages it.
February 24, 2024
A fascinating look at the creation of Fallingwater, one of the most famous homes in the world. Perched over a waterfall in rural Pennsylvania, Fallingwater is a perfect example of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s melding of nature and design. With its striking horizontal lines and dramatic cantilevered terraces, concrete, and stone surrounded by woods, rhododendron, and rushing water, Fallingwater has a special place in the history of modern architecture and helped revive Wright’s failing career. From the beginning, Fallingwater captured critical and public attention in a manner rare for architecture, let alone that for a private home. Fallingwater’s allure continues today. Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to western Pennsylvania to see this architectural icon. Toker’s book gives you a deeper understanding of why.
As a house biography, Fallingwater Rising relates how historical, artistic, and personal events convened at just the right time to spark the design and construction of one of the finest architectural achievements of the 20th, and some would say any, century. It’s also the story of complex relationships: between architect and client (Wright and Kaufmann), father and son (Kaufmann and his son, who acted as steward of the house after his parents’ death and was responsible for many of the myths surrounding Fallingwater); Wright and his contemporaries; and the house and its environment (almost immediately, Fallingwater began falling apart).
As a house biography, Fallingwater Rising relates how historical, artistic, and personal events convened at just the right time to spark the design and construction of one of the finest architectural achievements of the 20th, and some would say any, century. It’s also the story of complex relationships: between architect and client (Wright and Kaufmann), father and son (Kaufmann and his son, who acted as steward of the house after his parents’ death and was responsible for many of the myths surrounding Fallingwater); Wright and his contemporaries; and the house and its environment (almost immediately, Fallingwater began falling apart).
January 1, 2015
I got this book on a trip to Fallingwater, and I have to say, the visit there was amazing. I found the book to be very thoroughly researched, but very hard to get through. I can feel the level of research and work that went into the book, but I think sometimes, the author jumped to conclusions that may have been excessive (such as when he draws a connection between the overhang of Mrs. Kaufmann's balcony and her relationship with her husband). He interjects his opinion in a number of places like this, although the bulk of the time, at least he acknowledges the fact that it is just his opinion. I really wanted to like this book, and although I feel like I learned a lot from it, the journey was painful.
September 23, 2008
This is a very informative book on the history of Fallingwater, framed by Toker as a story of how Wrigth and E.J. Kaufman collaborated to build one of the most famous houses of the 20th Century. The narrative is somewhat overshadowed, however, by the almost encyclopedic compendium of historical facts that Toker includes and his often thinly supported speculations about motives, intentions and events (perhaps necessitated by the lack of historical documentation). I skimmed the second half of the book as I was more interested in the origins of the house rather than its legacy. Overall, a good and possibly overly thorough introduction to the history of Falllingwater.
November 30, 2016
I read this book because one of my former professors, Franklin Toker wrote it. As I was reading I could almost hear his voice in lecture. While I found that some of the assumptions about the Kaufmans' and Wright's personal lives were over-reaching, it was one of the best-researched architecture books I've ever read. Most books of this nature can be dry and tough to get through if you are reading for pleasure, but Toker incorporates archival research in a way that is entertaining and thought-provoking. This is a must-read for any architecture student, architectural historian, or Wright enthusiast!
October 21, 2016
Just as in Fallingwater rock, water and house come together, this book tells the story of the land, an architect and a builder coming together.
The result is a magical perfect thing called Fallingwater.
I love this book for so many reasons. Frank Lloyd Wright is fascinating and beyond interesting. E.J. Kaufmann is almost a caricature of an American capitalist. The land where Fallingwater is located has a great history. The house itself....I dreamed of this house many years before I knew of its existence. In my dreams I saw quite a few features of the house that actually exist, like the stairs down to the creek and the whole house seeming to be part of the rock.
The result is a magical perfect thing called Fallingwater.
I love this book for so many reasons. Frank Lloyd Wright is fascinating and beyond interesting. E.J. Kaufmann is almost a caricature of an American capitalist. The land where Fallingwater is located has a great history. The house itself....I dreamed of this house many years before I knew of its existence. In my dreams I saw quite a few features of the house that actually exist, like the stairs down to the creek and the whole house seeming to be part of the rock.
November 15, 2007
I would say that this is a fascinating look inside the social forces that led to the construction of Fallingwater and its status as icon of American modern architecture...except the book was just too damn long. I really wonder what the target audience was--the architecture parts are relatively dumbed-down--but who would want to read a book this long and this detailed about Fallingwater except an architecture buff who doesn't need the architecture parts dumbed down? By the end of the book, I spent more time pondering that question than I did thinking about Fallingwater.
October 23, 2014
This book went into more depth about things than a casual reader would care about, and seems to be written more for a student of architecture than a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, such as I am. I wish the author had included photos of all the buildings that were referred to, in the book. Seems to be well-researched, and the theories "hang together". Most of the time the author seems to be careful not to make assumptions, or do identify what they are. If you're looking for the story of Fallingwater, this is it. And then some.
August 8, 2008
A fascinating story about the construction of Fallingwater. I've been there, so was interested to get the background. I love details like the crew that was pouring the concrete for the cantilever added more concrete because Wright's calculations were wonky. If they hadn't, the whole thing would have fallen down (and the house probably would have had a different name, no?) but Wright was furious that anyone dared to tamper with his genius.
August 22, 2013
Here are 500 pages to biography a house, but not just any house. This house, according to the author, is the most famous house in the world because of its architecture, because of its message and where it is. Toker shows us the complicated personal intrigue and the professional competitiveness that nurtured and sustains its iconic being. Any lover of architecture, FLWright, or the arts will be well rewarded in the reading of this book.
April 1, 2008
More information than I can grasp about modern architecture (I can't for instance, fix the difference between modern and modernist in my mind) but this is a rich, narrative driven approach to the topic. Full of the indiscretions of the wealthy. A good description of how the would-be elite used art and culture to negotiate class.
June 30, 2025
My all-time favorite book
To which I have a personal connection, and for which I have a greater appreciation for having been there, done that: studied the names and periods; visited the places (knowing some like the back of my hand); read the corresponding books...
The well educated/traveled/heeled should find it to be as engaging a read as architecture and design buffs.
To which I have a personal connection, and for which I have a greater appreciation for having been there, done that: studied the names and periods; visited the places (knowing some like the back of my hand); read the corresponding books...
The well educated/traveled/heeled should find it to be as engaging a read as architecture and design buffs.
April 15, 2013
This is a fascinating look at every aspect of Fallingwater from its concept, construction, and growth as an icon of American modern architecture.
Being from Pittsburgh, I particularly enjoyed the parts about the Kaufmann family and how they affected the area. I, myself, have always made references to the Kaufman clock.
Being from Pittsburgh, I particularly enjoyed the parts about the Kaufmann family and how they affected the area. I, myself, have always made references to the Kaufman clock.
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