(Pittsburgh and Mill Run, Pennsylvania.  June 20, 2007)  Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterwork in Mill Run, Pa. is in the process of being repainted this summer and, although it appears to be noticeably darker than the color many have come to associate with the structure, the paint actually more closely represents the original color Frank Lloyd Wright selected  in 1936. 

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy,  which has been entrusted with preserving Fallingwater, engaged the nationally-known color analyst Frank S. Walsh and the architectural firm of Quinn Evans of Ann Arbor, Michigan to identify the original Fallingwater colors. Welsh used microscopical and X-ray diffraction analyses to confirm the color Wright used on all of the masonry walls both inside and outside the house. After testing more than 100 different paint systems, he concluded that Wright selected a light yellowish-brown cementitious paint of the day known as "Cemelith.” From the analysis, color cards were developed and, with the aid of PPG's Pittsburgh Paint unit, WPC matched the original color.

Harmony with nature, the feature that has brought Fallingwater the distinction of being named the most important building of the 20th Century by the American Institute of Architects, has also presented its own unique challenges for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The house’s proximity to (and contact with) running water and moisture from the waterfall place atypical demands on the paint that coats Fallingwater. This is why WPC partnered with PPG’s Pittsburgh Paint unit, who developed a new low-odor, zero-VOC premium latex paint specifically for Fallingwater.

According to Lynda Waggoner, vice president and director of Fallingwater, one of the first coatings used on Fallingwater was cement casein-based paint, which dirtied very quickly  In fact, WPC staff uncovered a can of the original paint powder manufactured by Cemelith on site.  Waggoner said Fallingwater presents especially difficult conditions for paint, including the large amount of horizontal surfaces. “We worked with PPG to address these problems,” she said.

The project will continue throughout the summer when the weather cooperates.

In addition to capturing the contrast in color as the house is painted, Fallingwater is particularly picturesque in early July when its many surrounding rhododendrons begin to bloom.

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About Fallingwater and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) preserves Fallingwater®, the masterpiece home designed in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Edgar J. Kaufmann in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. In 1963, Edgar Kaufmann jr. (sic) entrusted Fallingwater to the Conservancy.  As a symbol of living in harmony with nature, Fallingwater offers a wide variety of educational programs to its more than 135,000 annual visitors.   Since its founding in 1932, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has protected more than 212,000 acres of natural lands in Pennsylvania, restored watersheds and saved natural habitats for a diversity of life and uses.  Each year, WPC also partners with 4,000 volunteers and dozens of community organizations and businesses to plant and maintain 140 gardens and greening projects in 19 western Pennsylvania counties.