One unique aspect about Mäntylä is that the home contains many of its original furnishings, insuring you are seeing the home as Wright intended it to look. Guides take you through the home and offer insights into the structure as you peer into each room and as you walk around the exterior of the home. However, it also undoubtedly features many design touches that will be familiar to fans of the architect.
Open to the public for the first time ever in 2019, this home, along with Duncan House, offers a stark contrast to nearby sites like Fallingwater because of its more basic design. Tours begin at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Mäntylä. There are a variety of tour options at Polymath Park, but most visitors opt for the one-hour tour that visits three of the four homes on the property. It’s even possible to spend the night in any of the four homes at Polymath Park. This means that both homes are not only saved for future generations to enjoy but also can be toured by those interested in learning more about Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. Fortunately, they were instead dismantled and authentically rebuilt in this isolated corner of southwestern Pennsylvania. Lindholm in 1952 were two of a few ever built.īoth Duncan House and Mäntylä were deteriorating in their original locations and were in danger of being torn down. The project never took off, and the houses sold to Donald C. The idea of this style of home was to bring Wright’s design to the masses. These two homes are great examples of Wright’s Usonian homes. Likewise, in 2019, Mäntylä, also known as the Lindholm House, was rebuilt on the site after being moved from Cloquet, Minnesota. In 2002, the Duncan House was moved from Lisle, Illinois, and was reconstructed at Polymath Park in order to save it from destruction. The original plan called for 24 homes to be built here, but only these two were completed. The Balter House and the Blum House were designed and built on this site near Acme, Pennsylvania, in the 1960s. In addition to having two of Wright’s designs, Polymath Park is home to two homes that were built by one of his apprentices, Peter Berndtson: the Balter House and the Blum House.
Two of these lesser-known creations are Frank Lloyd Wright’s Duncan House and Mäntylä, both of which are located in Polymath Park in southern Westmoreland County, only 35 minutes from Fallingwater. However, those are just two of his many creations in Pennsylvania. When you think of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings in Pennsylvania, it’s likely that the amazing Fallingwater or Kentuck Knob come to mind. We will make a small commission from these links if you order something at no additional cost to you. Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links.