It was a natural fit being located so close to Fallingwater, to have guests be able to experience that magnificent site and realize they learned of angles and compression and release and then come back here and experience it overnight. "I wanted to create an experience and not just offer an hour-long tour without the true feel. "At certain properties, you have to watch how you breathe when you tour them," says Tom. Through home tours, dining, and even overnight stays, the Usonian Preservation has created an accessible learning opportunity for anyone to experience Wright’s impact. These are ordinary guys who would never think about this as anything but work, yet it brought tears to their eyes."Īnd that’s what sets this project apart.
#POLYMATH PARK DUNCAN HOUSE WINDOWS#
Skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows in the Blum House lend lots of natural light. The Duncan House is one of three Wright-style houses available for overnight stays in western Pennsylvanias Polymath Park, spread over 125 acres in Westmoreland County. All three homes offer tours and stays within Polymath Park Resort in Acme, where the Papinchaks ensure the homes stay true to the great American architect’s vision. "My core group gelled and made it come to life. The Duncan House is one of only a handful of Wright homes that welcome overnight guests. "The best part is that it consumes you and makes you want to get past the hard spots," says Tom. It makes sense in today’s standard of living, which is greener, smaller, and utilizes space efficiently."Īll in, contractors spent around 9,000 hours on the project, and many of those were spent collaboratively with the Trust and the McKinneys. "It’s important for generations to understand that Wright was so ahead of his time. "We do it for the purpose for preservation, but also for people to truly enjoy the space and appreciate the history in front of us and his legacy," says Tom. Aside from the Duncan House and the Berndtson-designed residences, there are hiking trails and even a restaurant, where Heather cooks in addition to managing the day-to-day operations. We tried everything to keep it at the original location."Īt its new site in Polymath Park, Mäntylä is in good company. "There were a lot of emotions, as it was a hard choice for everyone to move the house. "The hardest part was the first hit of the hammer," says Tom. Tom Papinchak, president of Usonian Preservation "It’s important for generations to understand that Wright was so ahead of his time." So in 2016, after owners Julene and Peter McKinney (a Lindholm descendant) failed to find a buyer who would preserve the integrity of Mäntylä after years of trying, the Papinchaks’ nonprofit, Usonian Preservation, was granted a tremendous responsibility by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. Then, in 2007, the couple relocated a midwestern Wright project, the Duncan House, to the grounds and opened up Polymath Park to lodging and tours. In 2003, the couple purchased the Balter and Blum Houses designed by Wright apprentice Peter Berndston, along with the 130-acre property known as Polymath Park, with the intention of protecting the land from development. This is a must for all FLW fans.This wasn’t their first rodeo at architectural preservation. Besides, we have seen Kentuck Knob on our last trip here. We didn’t have the time to visit all 3 in one day unfortunately. If you are in the area do tour both Polymath Park and Fallingwater especially if you are coming from the Pittsburgh area. This is not to mention they saved them from possible demolition. The fact that they were able to move these houses from the original location and meticulously rebuild them is incredible. They are in the process of adding more houses if you can believe that(at least one more in the near future). He kept the group moving along without rushing us. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and courteous. One of the tour guides convinced the receptionist that we could fit in the earlier tour there. We actually got there more than an hour before the tour due to getting an earlier than scheduled tour at Fallingwater. Still the hour tour of the 3 homes was well worth the drive from downtown Pittsburgh and Fallingwater. Could the tour have been longer and covered more? Absolutely.
#POLYMATH PARK DUNCAN HOUSE PLUS#
All houses by Wright are a treasure and I believe we have been inside 41 of his structures overall including private homes on the Wright Plus Tour in the Oak Park area. That being said we were able to see 3 houses-2 Usonian houses by Wright and one excellent house by a protege. Fortunately the drive from Fallingwater to here was about 30 minutes and actually appears in the middle of nowhere. This was our first trip back to the Laurel Highland since then and we jumped at the chance to visit more FLW homes. This project was still in its infancy as I recall. It was 13 years ago that my wife and I have visited this area touring Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob.