'Frank Lloyd Wright's Southwestern Pennsylvania' opens soon at the National Building Museum

The next exhibition on view this spring at Washington, D.C.’s National Building Museum will focus on a popular region for fans of Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Southwestern Pennsylvania, which runs through March 17th, 2025, a vision for the region's future is presented via a careful look at key projects and five unrealized designs that were proposed in the Pittsburgh area between 1930 and the early 1950s. 

The exhibition was co-organized by curators from The Westmoreland Museum of American Art and Fallingwater. It includes a special section dedicated to animated flythrough films depicting, among others, the unrealized 1952 Rhododendron Chapel and gate lodge that was planned for the grounds of Fallingwater. 

Wright's most famous work in the eastern states was commissioned by Edgar J. Kaufmann, Sr., a local department store magnate whose legacy and influence will also receive a valuable investigation, along with other individuals who guided his work in the region.

“We are thrilled to have Frank Lloyd Wright’s Southwestern Pennsylvania on view at the Museum,” Aileen Fuchs, the president and executive director of the National Building Museum, said in a preview. “We feel fortunate to have a new window into the mind of this legendary architect. By presenting both realized and unrealized projects, the exhibition encourages visitors to consider ‘what might have been.’”

“This aligns beautifully with the Museum’s institutional Pillars, most notably the pillars of Wonder and Innovation. We hope it sparks curiosity and a better understanding of the impact architecture can have on urban, suburban, and rural landscapes,” Fuchs added finally.

Additional items of interest include 3D models, architectural drawings, and historical photos that further contextualize the unrealized project animations created by Skyline Ink Animators + Illustrators.

The exhibition opens on April 13th with special extended hours to visitors through 7 PM on April 15th. 

Another look at visualizations of Wright's unrealized designs from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation can be found here.