Learning Lessons from a Landmark: Summer Study at Fallingwater
 (Mill Run, Pennsylvania, February 21, 2007) Applications are now being accepted for three summer residency study programs at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Applications are due Saturday, March 31, 2007 for high school students, college undergraduate students enrolled in an architectural degree program, and teachers of any subject, at any grade level.
For each program twelve people will participate in intense explorations of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterwork in Mill Run, Pa. Close access to an architectural masterpiece, on-site design studios with practicing architects, and thoughtful discussions led by Wright scholars are only part of these unique study opportunities.
“I encourage students and teachers to apply early,” says Jennifer Hiebert, Fallingwater Education Assistant. “There is simply no other way to study a landmark building this closely – it’s an experience that textbooks and videos can’t replicate.”
Residents will examine Fallingwater from above and below, inside and out – in a detailed examination of this world-famous architectural landmark. Former High School Residency Scholar Dolan Dagget says, “The residency taught me about myself and about the almost spiritual qualities behind architecture. We learned about the land while learning about the structure…I sense the power in spaces for the first time. I no longer will look at a structure as a series of plans and elevations, but as an entity that is living.”
 For a deeper understanding of the building, residents also examine the ecology of Western Pennsylvania’s unique landscape, explore the value of sustainable building and contextually derived building methods, and pursue the poetry of light and sound which is a part of Wright’s work. Students complete several design inquiries that encourage a close look their surroundings while pursuing a broader dialogue of building materials forms and methods. Teachers use the process of discovery as a fresh model for stimulating student directed learning.
Programs are held during the times indicated below. Tuition includes accommodations and most meals.
| College Residency Program: |
June 23-July 3 |
Tuition: $750 |
Deadline: March 31 |
| High School Residency Program: |
July 7-14 |
Tuition: $650 |
Deadline: March 31 |
| Teacher Residency Program: |
July 22-29 |
Tuition: $650 |
Deadline: March 31 |
 Applications are now available online at http://www.wpconline.org/fw-summer.asp or by contacting Fallingwater Education Assistant Jennifer Hiebert at jhiebert@paconserve.org or by phone at 724-329-1441, ext. 1204.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission generously supports the operation of Fallingwater’s education programs. Fallingwater is owned by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and is designated Pennsylvania Commonwealth Treasure. The American Institute of Architects named Fallingwater “the best all-time work of American architecture.”
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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 5,000 volunteers and dozens of community organizations and businesses to plant and maintain 135 gardens and greening projects in 20 western Pennsylvania counties.
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