falling water became an instant national historic landmark the second it graced the cover of time magazine in 1938. a house that was literally built to appear that it floated on a waterfall, captured the imaginations and creative minds of a generation.

america's most famous architect, frank lloyd wright, was commissioned by the kaufmann family to propose and design a new summer vacation home on the families expansive mountainous estate. located southeast of pittsburgh in the area known as bear run, the kaufmann family knew that their love and wright's love of nature would be a key element to the design of their new home.

inspired by his modern designs, and the influence of their son, the kaufmann family fully embraced wright's radical idea to construct a house on top of a running and active waterfall. he told them that he wanted them to live with the waterfall, to make them a part of their everyday life, and not just to look at them now and then.

started construction in 1935, it took just course to three years to complete this project. the main house will total 5,330 square feet with 2885 square feet dedicated to interior and 2,445 square towards terraces. an accompanying quest house would use 1,700 square feet. the final cost would equal $155,000, which seems like a small price to pay for a structure that has had over 4.5 million people visit since its grand opening to the public in 1964.