# 2019 - 1982 20c American Architecture: Falling Water

U.S. #2019
1982 20¢ Falling Water
American Architecture

• From the fourth and final block of stamps in American Architecture Series
• Tribute to modern architecture of the 20^th century
• Marked the 125^th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  American Architecture
Value:  20¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue:  September 30, 1982
First Day City:  Washington, DC
Quantity Issued:  41,335,000
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method:  Engraved
Format:  Panes of 40 in sheets of 160
Perforations:  11
Color:  Black and brown

Why the stamp was issued:  Issued to honor the entire architectural profession, the block of four stamps this comes from features unique architecture by four 20th-century architects.  Also marked 125^th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects.

About the stamp design:  Walter D. Richards designed the 1982 American Architecture stamps as well as all previous stamps in the series.  Richards’ intricate black-and-white drawing fills the stamp area, capturing as much of each building’s unique style as possible in such a small space. 

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) – Fallingwater – Mill Run, Pennsylvania – shows Wright’s building, which was dedicated to nature.  Built over a stream and waterfall and resting on a massive rock, the home was intended to flow with the natural surroundings.

First Day City:  The First Day ceremony for the American Architecture stamps was held at the headquarters of the American Institute of Architects in Washington, DC. The stamp’s issue coincided with the 125th anniversary of that organization.

Unusual fact about the stamp:  Some error stamps have been found with the red engraving omitted.

About the American Architecture Series:  Introduced on June 4, 1979, the American Architecture Series was created to honor the evolution of American architecture over the last two centuries. Walter D. Richards designed all of the stamps and each includes the name of the architect, their birth and death years, and the name of the building.  A total of four blocks were issued between 1949 and 1982.  Get the entire set here.

Other stamps in the 1982 American Architecture block feature:

Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) – Illinois Institute of Technology – Chicago, Illinois – This was Mies’ favorite building that he designed – an example, of his “skin and bones” architecture.”  The building is one glass-walled room measuring 120 feet by 220 feet surrounded by four large trusses.  This was one of the 20 buildings Mies designed for the institute’s 100-acre campus.

Walter Gropius (1883-1969) – Gropius House – Lincoln, Massachusetts – This stamp depicts Gropius’ own home, which he designed with his collaborator Marcel Breuer.  The house features white-painted wood and fieldstone, a modern interpretation of the traditional New England architectural style.

Eero Saarinen (1910-61) – Dulles Airport – Washington, DC – Saarinen’s Dulls Airport was the first airport designed with jet travel in mind.  The view on the stamp shows the curved roof, air traffic control tower, and a plane speeding away.

History the stamp represents:  Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was born Frank Lincoln Wright on June 8, 1867, in Richland Center, Wisconsin.  He’s considered one of the greatest architects of all time.

When Wright was a child, his mother was convinced he would build beautiful buildings, so she did much to encourage him.  In 1876, she visited the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia where she saw educational blocks known as Froebel Gifts.  She purchased a set for Wright who spent hours playing with the geometric blocks, and later said they had a strong influence on him.

In 1885, Wright’s parents divorced and he never saw his father again.  He changed his middle name from Lincoln to Lloyd to honor his mother’s family, the Lloyd Joneses.  Wright went on to attend high school, but it’s unknown if he graduated.  He then attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he took civil engineering classes part-time for two semesters, but left the school to find work in architecture.

The Chicago fire of 1871 had created a booming building industry in the city and Wright quickly landed a job there as a draftsman.  Within three years he was promoted to head draftsman at the successful Chicago firm of Adler and Sullivan.  He also worked on independent commissions for at least nine houses to supplement his income.

By 1893, Wright had opened his own firm and was further developing his style.  His trademark of clean geometric designs with open floor plans mirrored the broad, flat, Midwestern landscape that surrounded him.  It was a sharp departure from the lavish European trends still popular in the US at the time.  Wright’s so-called “Prairie style” was to become the first truly American architectural style.

As his style continued to evolve, he became even more focused on simple, utilitarian designs that complemented their surroundings and not disrupt the landscape.  He called it “Organic Architecture.”  Marrying this philosophy to the Arts and Crafts Movements of the early 20th century, Wright created some of his best works.

In 1943, Wright was asked to design a building to house the art collection of Solomon R. Guggenheim.  He did not want it to be built in New York, because he considered the city overcrowded.  The architect finally agreed, but insisted the museum would be located near Central Park.  The resulting round building is wider at the top than the bottom, resembling a giant, coiled white ribbon.  Inside, the gallery is a continuous ramp that extends from the ground floor to the ceiling.  Construction on the Guggenheim began in 1956, but it wasn’t completed until about six months after Wright’s death on April 9, 1959.

Over the course of his nearly 70-year career, Wright created buildings ranging from those typical of the late 1800s to highly imaginative, ultramodern designs.  Wright designed more than 1,000 buildings in his lifetime, 532 were completed.

Wright emerged as perhaps the most renowned architect in US history.  Because of his extensive and innovative work, the American Institute of Architects named him the “Greatest American Architect of all Time.”