See Wright sites like you’ve never seen them before!
Friday, June 6 – Sunday, June 8
The Martin House is heading to the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania to enjoy exclusive, behind-the-scenes experiences at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Polymath Park, and Fallingwater. This type of access doesn’t come along often – take advantage while you can!
Our trip will kick off at the Carnegie Museum of Art, a nationally and internationally recognized institute for its distinguished collection of American and European works from the 16th century to the present. Our visit begins with a three-course lunch at the renowned Carnegie Café. The museum also houses the Heinz Architectural Center, where we will receive a guided tour by Raymund Ryan, the curator-at-large.
Following the museum, we will depart for the beautiful Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh. Designed by renowned architects Benno Janssen, and Franklin Abbott, the hotel was the last building venture of Henry Clay Frick, one of Pittsburgh’s wealthiest industrialists, and completed at a cost of $6 million. Omni William Penn Hotel is also a member of Historic Hotels Worldwide, which is dedicated to promoting heritage and cultural travel to prestigious historic treasures.
Dinner will be served in a beautiful hall of the Omni Penn Hotel.
The next day, we will visit Polymath Park, a resort featuring four historic houses: two relocated houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and two houses designed by apprentice Peter Berndtson. The group will tour both Wright houses, including the Duncan House and the R.W. Lindholm “Mäntylä” House. Originally located in Lisle, IL., the Duncan House is one of eleven Usonian homes that were prefabricated by a Wisconsin builder, Marshall Erdman, and constructed on lots chosen by the buyers. A grand Usonian home, the R.W. Lindholm “Mäntylä” House was designed by Wright in 1952 and originally built in Cloquet, MN.
Our carefully curated adventures continue at Fallingwater, the Wright-designed house that rises above the waterfall over which it is built. We will enjoy a gorgeous after-hours sunset tour, which includes spaces not available on regular tours and with interior photography permitted. Following this exclusive tour, we will enjoy an elegant three-course dinner at The Barn at Fallingwater, an 1807 “bank barn” built into a hillside. Senior Director of Preservation and Collections, Scott Perkins, will join us for this special dining experience, where questions are encouraged. Dinners are rarely offered on-site, so this is an amazing opportunity for Wright aficionados!
Before heading back to Buffalo, we will visit the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to tour their 15 acres site, including a 14-room glasshouse and 23 distinct gardens.
Here is a more detailed itinerary of the daily activities:
Friday, June 6
Group will convene at agreed upon location at 6:45am to board the bus to Pennsylvania.
By 11:15am, we will arrive at the Carnegie Museum of Art, where we will enjoy a delicious private lunch at The Café Carnegie. The entire café will be reserved for our group.
Following lunch, we will explore the museum’s Heinz Architectural Center, a space to examine issues pertaining to the built environment. We will receive a guided tour of the featured Exhibition will be: City of Rooms by Raymund Ryan, exhibit organizer and curator-at-large.
At 4:45pm, we will arrive at the Omni Penn Hotel.
After settling in, the group can enjoy some independent exploring time and reconvene for dinner in a beautiful hall of the Omni Penn Hotel at 6pm.
Saturday, June 7
We will begin our day at Polymath Park, a resort featuring four historic houses: two relocated houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and two houses designed by apprentice Peter Berndtson. Tours will take place from 10:00am-11:00am and will include both Wright designs, which are Usonian wonders with fascinating stories to tell.
Immediately following the tour at 12pm, our group will enjoy an al fresco on-site lunch with breathtaking views of the Laurel Highlands.
We will then head to Fallingwater for a 3pm arrival. Our group will explore the grounds and shop until a special sunset tour, after regular hours. This guided tour will cover secondary spaces not available on standard tours. Interior photographs will be permitted on this exclusive opportunity.
Immediately following the tours, our group will be shuttled to The Barn at Fallingwater for a 6pm private, three-course dinner and presentation with time for questions with Scott Perkins, Fallingwater’s Senior Director of Preservation and Collections.
We will depart for the hotel at 8:30pm.
Sunday, June 8
Our day starts at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at 9:15am. A green oasis in the middle of Pittsburgh’s vibrant Oakland neighborhood, we will enjoy a 90-minute tour of the 15 acres including a 14-room glasshouse and 23 distinct gardens.
We will then enjoy lunch at 12:30pm and start our journey back to Buffalo.
Cost includes hotel, motor coach travel for the duration of the trip departing from and returning to the Martin House in Buffalo, all tours and museum admission fees, lunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and dinner on Friday and Saturday.
Double occupancy, per person: $1,150 / $1,450 member rate
Single occupancy, per person: $1,750 / $1,650 member rate
Interested in becoming a Martin House member? Enjoy the member rate on the travel trip and much more >
Please Review the Terms and Conditions
Payment:
Payments are due in full at the time of reservation. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Melinda Rudinski at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House by emailing mrudniski@martinhouse.org.
Cancellations and Refunds:
Cancellations must be made directly to Melinda Rudinski at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House by emailing mrudniski@martinhouse.org or calling 716.856.3858 x212.
- Refund Policy
- Prior to April 1: full refund
- After April 2: 100% non-refundable
Medical Considerations:
This tour involves significant walking and requires participants to be in good physical condition. You must be able to walk, without assistance, a minimum of one mile over uneven terrain and climb stairs that may not have handrails.
Limits on Responsibilities:
All services and arrangements for transportation, accommodations, and other services related to the tour have been made by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House (MH) only as a representative of the participant. Therefore, the MH should not be held liable for any damages, expenses, or other financial losses to a person or property arising out of injury, cancellation, delay, or alteration from any act of negligence by the hotel, bus, restaurant, or company rendering services during the tour. The MH reserves the right to pass on to any participants expenditures, additional expenses, or losses caused by delays or events beyond its control. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver that will agree to waive, release, and hold harmless the MH, the owners, operators, members, officers, directors, trustees, agents, successors and assigns, from any and all claims, injuries, causes of action, demands, costs, liability, and/or harm of any kind acquired against each of them as a result of your participation in this event. This release shall not be effective if the claim or injury is the result of the sole negligence of the named entity. Should actual enrollments significantly fall below the minimum numbers, a surcharge may be added.
