Relationship with the environment
The land on which the house is located has abundant rock outcrops that served as the foundation of the building. The area has a slightly rugged relief and a forest of deciduous trees that remains practically virgin, since only a pedestrian path leads to the house. The Bear Run stream appears as the protagonist, in which the house's waterfall is located. Rocks that make up the masonry of the lower part of the building's facades were extracted from the site's terrain, placed in that place to create a progression from the natural rock of the ground to the concrete of the upper parts. The rest of the facades are cream-colored, a contrasting color with the green or brown surroundings (depending on the season). Another contrasting element of the house is the orthogonal shapes of the overhangs and walls.
The building maintains a relationship with the environment that is clearly one of respect and adaptation to the environment. Thus, the foundations of the house are the rocks of the place, and some of them exceed the wide slab of the first floor, peeking out next to the fireplace. Much of the house is cantilevered, situated above the stream. Wright's engineers did not trust that this structure would hold and advised Wright to rectify it. Somewhat defeating his pride as an architect, Wright allowed the addition of some metal pieces that support the cantilever, which is still standing after suffering the effects of a tornado. The house, with three floors, extends horizontally with prominent overhangs and terraces, however there is a core that grows vertically, in which the chimney is located, and whose windows extend vertically, passing from one floor to another, and leaving the floors visible. This vertical core is something like the “heart” of the Cascade House.
On the north side of the house, the opposite of the one that “flies” over the stream, there is a series of pergolas as an awning that run from the exterior wall to a stone slope that rises above the path that leads to the entrance. This site is known as the “house forest.” Two pergolas describe an arch that avoids the trunks of two trees. This resource was used by Wright to make clear the respect for nature with which the house is designed. The shadows cast by the pergolas resemble those of the trunks, an effect that causes the shadow of the house to diffuse into those of the trees. On the floor of the terrace of Mr. Kaufmann's office, Wright planted two large holes so that they could be penetrated by a couple of trees, which died during the construction of the house and, consequently, these openings were not finally made.
Apparently E. J. Kaufmann distrusted Wright's structural calculation, commissioned an engineering study and secretly increased steel in the structure, which motivated the anger of the architect who reproached him for his lack of trust. The truth is that the engineers were right, thanks to that extra steel the construction was able to better resist the passing of the years and the attacks of nature. However, already in the 90s, a deflection of the cantilevers of up to 20 cm was observed. Post-tensioning work on steel cable in 2001 managed to stabilize the cantilever structure.
House interior
Inside the Casa de la Cascada we find unique rooms due to their distribution, location and finishes. Upon entering the house through the main door, located on the north side, we access a small room with a hall function located under the stairs that lead to the second floor. After this room you enter the living room, the largest room in the house from which you can see splendid views of the forest that surrounds the house. Upon entering, facing each other is the so-called “music corner”, whose etymology is unknown, to the right is the area with sofas and behind the “music corner” is the “water staircase”, so called because it goes down to a small platform next to the stream. To go down this it is necessary to open some sliding glass screens. The steps of the “water ladder” are suspended from traction cables attached to the first slab.
The walls of the living room, like those of the rest of the house, are the same as those outside, with parts of local stone masonry. The floor is made of brown stone and the ceiling has a design that surrounds the lamps included in it, designed expressly for this house. As you enter the dining room, on the right hand side, is the fireplace, surrounded by natural stones that emerge from the floor. To its left is the “wine ball”, a circular red container fitted with a hinge that allows it to be placed over the fire to heat the drink it contains. On both sides of the room there is a door that leads to a terrace. The one on the east side also has an external staircase that leads to the terrace of the Kaufmanns' son's bedroom. To the left of the fireplace is the door that leads to the kitchen, a room smaller than the living room with furniture designed by Wright and exclusive for this house, as is the case with the rest of the furniture in the house. Between the kitchen door and the staircase is the dining table, built into the north wall of the living room.
On the second floor there are two bedrooms, two bathrooms and Mr. Kaufmann's office, as well as three terraces and the stairs that lead to the viewpoint on the third floor. As you access this floor you enter a small hallway that distributes the rooms. Son Kaufmann's bedroom is above the “music corner” on the first floor, which has a small bathroom. To the east of this bedroom is the son's individual terrace, where there is an external staircase that goes down to the first floor. Above the armchair area of the living room is the double bedroom, which has a small bathroom and an extensive terrace that cantilevers towards the south. On the west side of the second floor is Mr. Kaufmann's office. In this room there is a bed and a staircase that leads to the viewpoint on the second floor. The fireplace appears in both the couple's bedroom and the office. In this last room there is the continuous glass window that extends to the kitchen. On the west wall of the studio there is a door that leads to the terrace, where originally there were two trees crossing the floor.