An Historic Correspondence

In August of 1936, the first floor cantilever at Fallingwater was poured and additional steel was inserted without Frank Lloyd Wright’s approval. On this day, 67 years ago, Wright sent the following correspondence to Edgar Kaufmann, Sr.

My dear E.J.:
If you are paying to have the concrete engineering done down there there is no use whatever in our doing it here. I am willing you should take it over but I am not willing to be insulted….I don’t know what kind of architect you are familiar with but it apparently isn’t the kind I think I am. You seem not to know how to treat a decent one. I have put so much more into this house than you or any other client has a right to expect that if I haven’t your confidence – to hell with the whole thing.
   Sincerely yours,
   Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect.
   August 27, 1936

The next day, Kaufmann dashed off his reply to Wright:

Dear Mr. Wright:
If you have been paid to do the concrete engineering up there there is no use whatever of our doing it down here. I am not willing to take it over as you suggest nor am I willing to be insulted….I don’t know what kind of clients you are familiar with but apparently they are not the kind I think I am. You seem not to know how to treat a decent one. I have put so much confidence and enthusiasm behind this whole project in my limited way, to help the fulfillment of your efforts that if I do not have your confidence in the matter – to hell with the whole thing.
   Sincerely yours,
   Edgar J. Kaufmann.  

P.S. Now don’t you think that we should stop writing letters and that you owe it to the situation to come to Pittsburgh and clear it up by getting the facts?
   August 28, 1936

Pictured above are Frank Lloyd Wright (left) and Edgar Kaufmann, Sr. (right). Behind them are Wright's blueprints for the first floor of Fallingwater, a structure that would become Wright's masterwork and, among other accolades, would be voted the most important building of the 20th Century by the American Institute of Architects.

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