“It’s a building,” my kids said.

“Yeah, I’ll pass,” my husband added.

None of my family members could understand why I was so excited to spend an afternoon touring a house in western Pennsylvania that no one had been vacant for forty years. Even I, a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, wasn’t sure what to expect beyond an initial moment of awe upon seeing a home teetering on the edge of a waterfall.

The waterfall, as it turns out, was only a smart part of what made the former home of Pittsburgh department-store tycoons, the Kaufmann family, such a marvelous spectacle to explore.

Fallingwater was built for the Kaufmanns in the 1930s as an escape from the dirt and noise of the Steel City. When they originally commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright for the project, the Kaufmanns assumed they were having a home built with a view of beautiful waterfalls. It wasn’t until they saw the first sketches that they learned their home was to be built on top of the falls and into the surrounding mountainside.

A home teetering above rushing water is a sight to behold and an auditory wonder, no doubt. But the architectural genius is most evident inside the home where Wright’s firm hand controlled precisely how his building would be enjoyed. He used tight corridors and narrow doorways to force relief and an outward facing perspective upon entering his rooms and built-in storage spaces to dictate a clutter-free living space. Wright envisioned a family living among nature, not just looking out at it through windows, and he created sweeping decks, wide angel windows, and a waterfall-level patio to accommodate this vision.

Self-guided ground tours of Fallingwater start at $8, although a $20 guided tour of the house and guest quarters offer much more information than what can be gathered with the naked eye. An in-depth tour is $65 per person and is the only tour option that permits photographs of the inside of the house. Reservations should be made several weeks in advance for any of the guided tours, especially during the fall months when the autumn leaves allow for breathtaking photographs of the area.

Photo Britt Reints

Union Station, Kansas City Photo by Jody Halsted

Walking in to Kansas City‘s Union Station is like taking a step back in time to the gilded age of rail transit.

Union Station was built in 1914 and in 1917 almost 80,000 trains came through the station.  The 850,000 square foot facility originally had 900 rooms and a glance at the ceilings gives you an idea of the grandeur that greeted travelers in the early 20th century. Read More »

Louisiana State Capitol

The Louisiana State Capitol Building in Baton Rouge houses the State Legislature, the Governor’s Office and other parts of the State Government.  It is the tallest capitol building in the United States and is a National Historic Landmark.

The steps leading up the main entrance have the names of all the United States in order of each state’s admittance to the Union.  Engraved into the stone around the main entrance is the quotation “We have lived long but this is the noblest work of our whole lives…The United States take rank this day among the first powers of the earth,” said by Robert Livingston on the signing of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Bullet holes in the still present in the walls where Governor Huey Long was assassinated in 1935.  Huey Long advocated the construction of the new, modern capitol building to replace the Old Louisiana State Capitol Building, built in 1847. He is buried on the grounds.

The architects used symbolism throughout the design of the building.  As the square tower rises, it turns into an octagon where four allegorical winged figures guard the corners and they represent Law, Science, Philosophy and Art. Louisiana’s State Symbol, the pelican, was used extensively in the decoration as well.

A visit is not complete without a trip to the observation deck on the 27th floor where you can enjoy spectacular views of Baton Rouge from 350 feet, including the Mississippi River.