Upcoming Fallingwater Events
The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation and Historic Harrisburg Association invite visitors to take a deeper dive into Fallingwater through a series of public programs this fall, including speakers Paul Bonfilio and Justin Gunther, and a bus trip to tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s timeless architecture in person.
The programs are being presented in conjunction with "Seeing Fallingwater - Celebrating Pennsylvania’s Architectural Masterpiece", a special temporary exhibit which features an architectural model of Fallingwater from the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. Fabricated by acclaimed model maker Paul Bonfilio in 1984, the model is currently on loan to the State Museum from MOMA and on view in the Museum’s Brockerhoff Hall through January 5, 2025.
- Sunday, September 29 at 1:30pm at The State Museum of PA:
Model maker Paul Bonfilio will discuss the re-making of Fallingwater on a reduced scale: in 1984, the Museum of Modern Art commissioned Bonfilio to create an architectural model of Fallingwater for its permanent collections. The two-year process of researching and fabricating Fallingwater in scale gave Bonfilio, a professionally trained architect himself, new insights into Wright’s genius and the building’s integral relationship to the natural environment. Bonfilio documented his experience on film and in a book, signed copies of which will be available to visitors after the presentation.
Visitors are encouraged to pre-register for the Sunday afternoon programs by visiting statemuseumpa.org/fallingwater-programs/
- Sunday, October 20 at 1:30pm at The State Museum of PA:
VP Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Director of Fallingwater Justin Gunther will discuss the history of Fallingwater and the process which led to its designation in 2019 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – only the second site in Pennsylvania to that point to have been bestowed that honor. The UNESCO designation culminates a series of historic preservation recognitions that began 50 years ago when the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s nascent state historic preservation office successfully nominated the property to the National Register of Historic Places in July 1974.
Visitors are encouraged to pre-register for the Sunday afternoon programs by visiting statemuseumpa.org/fallingwater-programs/
- Saturday, November 2: Fallingwater and Flight 93 Memorial Bus Trip
The first stop on this historic journey will be Fallingwater. Designed in 1935 by renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family, Fallingwater is one of his most widely acclaimed works and best exemplifies his philosophy of organic architecture: the harmonious union of art and nature. Participants will have a guided architectural tour and full access to the grounds. Lunch will be on your own at the café (or bring your own).
Following Fallingwater, the bus will continue to Flight 93 Memorial and The Tower of Voices. A site to learn about the 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93 during the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. At Flight 93 National Memorial you can walk beside their final resting place, learn their stories, and honor their extraordinary courage in preventing an attack on our Nation’s Capitol.
The final stop will be dinner on your own at the South Midway Service Plaza. One of the original service plazas on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, this building houses Turnpike memorabilia and historic photographs adorn the walls.
The bus will depart Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 8am from Boscov’s Parking Lot in the Camp Hill Shopping Center and return to the same location at 8:30pm.
Cost: $110 for Members of PA Heritage Foundation, State Museum of PA or Historic Harrisburg Association. $120 for Non-members.
For more details or to register, click here.
Bus Trip Partners:
