Relocating a Frank Lloyd Wright house

Polymath Park, in southwest Pennsylvania, offers visitors not only a unique opportunity to tour houses designed or inspired by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, but also a chance to spend a night in one. Correspondent Lee Cowan talks with the park's proprietors, and with a Minnesota couple whose Wright-designed home was rescued by relocating it, piece by piece, to Pennsylvania.

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[judibarth]

Wow, saving those homes is something fantastic to have done! Frank Lloyd Wright was an amazing architect!

[quadb]

Have a little know Wright designed house in Rockford Il, The Laurent House, his only handicap accessible home he designed, for a disabled veteran.

[bonniewalker]

A friend of my mothers Lou Penfield owned a Frank Lolyd Wright home in northern Ohio exclusively designed and built for Mr.Penfield. Lou was personal friends with Mr.Wright.
Together they collaborated on designing another Wright home for Lou. At the time Lou Penfield was teaching Art 🖼 at Mayfield High School. Lou told me that the day he received the second set of architectural plans from his friend Frank was the same day that Frank Loyd Wright passed away. Lou never built the second Wright home. He happily lived in the first one deep in the woods until he passed away. Lou Penfield’s son inherited the second set of the Wright/Penfield architectural plans.
I was a teenager when invited to a bonfire party on the grounds. I had just completed the term paper on Frank Loyd Wright. In my 30’s Lou invited me to spend a day at his Wright Home. We spent most of the time foraging through the woods and discovering branches and interesting stones. The Penfield’s were early settlers to our area and I believe they originally arrived on the Mayflower if I remember Lou’s story correctly. He was a gem.
I greatly admire the preservation of these historically important Wright Homes. I live in a Sears & Roebuck Catalogue Home called The Windsor. Built by my grandparents in 1925. The home was named after The Duke of Windsor who eventually became King Edward who abdicated the throne of England for the woman he loved.

[the_resourceful]

To live in a FLW house would be a dream come true.

[deedreamccarthy]

PolyMath is on my " I have to go there right now! "list. This makes my heart happy.

[jamesfarrell]

The look on their faces was priceless when they saw their old house put back together
Very heart warming
Beautiful story
I really enjoyed it
Have a wonderful day

[carolz]

Countless beautiful, historical buildings have been demolished in the name of progress and monstrosities constructed in their place. It’s important to protect and preserve great architecture, and Wright primarily built residences. They are needed for us to enjoy, and as a reference for other architects and interior designers. They were absolutely revolutionary in their time, and in many ways still are today. If this gentleman can finance that through having guests stay there, great. Wright designed for a specific placement on a property, but if a property no longer exists as Wright saw it this is a fantastic solution.

[gerryfedde]

Of course, Pennsylvania is where you'd want Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural orphans to find a permanent home. That's where arguably his greatest architectural triumph, Falling Water, resides. So glad these gems found a happy ending with people who so lovingly care.

[jtstacey]

to think some of these homes have been torn down for a strip mall or a walmart just hurts my soul.

[eryy]

CBS needs to do more stories like this.

[jillmahoney]

Wow…. Very teary-eyed here. Loved, … no, LOVE his designs. ❤️❤️❤️

[pseminario]

Lovely story! glad to see that this unconventional method of conservation is keeping these FLW homes standing and lovingly preserved!

[brentfisher]

Brought me to tears. What a great story about an amazing couple and a marvelous effort (to save these homes and their legacy) they are steering. Wonderful.

[kirk]

I've been to Fallingwaters...
His homes are incredible!
This should certainly be on your bucket list!
Make it so!
12-22...update, just visited Polymath Park...unbelievable, got my picture taken with Mr Tom...my daughter made this happen...
Please Go!
Find a way!

[iashakezula]

This is awesome! Thank you for saving his work for generations to come .
I’m in my 50’s now but when I was just a little child my father would work on his desk to design homes and he has a big architectural book of Frank LLoyd Wright design with pictures of the building and I would skim through it a lot.I would be at the job site with my father too .My father designed our house in Cebu Philippines, it was built with elements from FLW plus some Japanese flair lol . That house was different.Unfortunately we don’t own that house anymore.

Now in my older years, I still yearn to build a house with similar design. Ps I didn’t become an architect I became a nurse.Seeing FLW work brings back fond memories of my father.

[apollion]

Frank Lloyd Wright houses always make me cry, this was no exception.

[etekweb]

I'm from Cloquet (where the house was before). Came across this house once by accident while exploring the edges of Pine Valley during high school cross country. Twas a beautiful house, but yeah, the frontage road development on that side of 33 did make it quite a bit less secluded than I'm sure it once was. I heard it was getting moved, interesting to see what this entails!

[faj]

This made me cry tears of We've pilgrimaged to Fallingwater. Will make sure to book here for the next-decade visit. (From Manila, PH)

[charlesgallagher]

Tour the Martin and Greycliff Wright homes in Buffalo.

[jamesfarrell]

Generations from now will still be thinking of that wonderful couple who worked so hard making sure they were preserved
Some where up in heaven Frank must be smiling down on that couple and appreciating all the fuss
Have a wonderful day 😊