Aug 22, 2008 By Cindy Ekas 4 min read

MILL RUN – About 200 visitors are expected to take special self-guided tours Saturday night of Frank Lloyd Wright’s world-famous architectural masterpiece Fallingwater, which was nominated earlier this year as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. Those attending the 14th annual Fallingwater Twilight Tour and Dinner will experience the special evening that begins with wine and hors d’oeuvres on the bridge and a leisurely self-guided tour of the home, which is located on Route 381.

Wright designed the cantilevered home over a waterfall in 1935 for Pittsburgh department store magnate Edward Kaufmann Jr. The building is one of 10 designed by Wright that the U.S. Department of Interior has designated as eligible to be nominated on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list in the next 10 years.

“This designation is the unique feature for this year’s tour,” said Lynda Waggoner, director of Fallingwater and vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservatory. “There are a total of 13 properties included on the U.S. tentative list, and they will be considered over the next several years.

“All of the sites will make the list, which is good through 2019,” Waggoner added. “No other sites will be considered. Only two sites a year can be nominated from the U.S.”

Fallingwater will join some of the world’s most significant cultural and natural treasures, as well as 20 U.S. locations already on the list, including the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall.

“We were actually asked to submit a nomination from UNESCO in Paris,” Waggoner said. “We were told that they are interested in including American contemporary architecture on the list.”

Jack Rowley, communications specialist for the Western Pennsylvania Conservatory, said Fallingwater will now be recognized with the world’s most significant cultural and natural treasures, including such wonders as the Great Pyramids of Giza and Taj Mahal.

Despite the recent worldwide attention Fallingwater has received, Waggoner said Saturday’s Twilight Tour still will be limited to 200 guests.

“We try to keep it under 200 people,” she said. “In case we have rain, we have to be prepared to move the event inside. It’s actually held in the meadow, which is just up the hill from Fallingwater.”

Waggoner explained that the event begins with wine and hors d’oeuvres served to guests, who can then take self-guided tours of the masterpiece. Guests are invited to explore the more than 950 works of art contained inside the house and take in the natural beauty awaiting them outside.

“The fact that it is a self-guided tour is unique,” Rowley said. “It’s different than the regular tour. You can go at your own pace and you can take photos, which they don’t allow on the regular tours.”

During the event, Bear Run, a local stream, is memorable to both eye and ear as it dramatically cascades directly beneath the house before continuing its winding journey through the Laurel Highlands, according to a press release.

At dark, Waggoner said guests can follow the lantern-lit path of the meadow where a gourmet picnic dinner waits as the sounds of Bear Run and the cool jazz of Lisa Ferraro and her trio fill the air. With a distinctive vocal style of interpreting jazz classics, Ferraro has performed with Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops and released five compact disc recordings.

Kaufmann once described Fallingwater as “a great lantern in the forest, giving shape to the dark,” the press release said. The annual Twilight Tour gives guests the opportunity to view the house as he and his family did.

Another special feature of this year’s event is “The Fallingwater Cookbook,” written by 95-year-old Elsie Henderson of Pittsburgh, who served as the Kauffman’s cook. Henderson wrote the book along with Pittsburgh authors Susanne Martinson and Robert Sendall of the Pittsburgh area.

“The cookbook won’t be available for the tour, but it will be out in late September,” Waggoner said.

“We will have previews of the book available in the museum shop, so people can order them if they want,” she added.

Waggoner explained that the event is a minor fund-raiser for Fallingwater.

About half of the guests who attend come from the Washington D.C./Baltimore area. The other half comes from the Pittsburgh area.

The event also includes some local residents.

“In some cases, we have people who come back year after year,” Waggoner said. “It’s usually beautiful outside. We have candles hanging in the trees and along the pathways. It’s a unique opportunity to see Fallingwater at night.”