The National Building Museum announced that it will extend its Frank Lloyd Wright’s Southwestern Pennsylvania exhibition through Sunday, October 5, 2025. 

This exhibition is a journey into the famed architect’s mind, articulating—for the first time—his broader creative vision. Presenting both realized and unrealized projects Wright designed for the Southwest Pennsylvania region from the 1930s through the 1950s, the exhibition examines how Wright’s vision of the future might have impacted urban, suburban, and rural landscapes.

Realistic animated films, created by Skyline Ink Animators + Illustrators, provide a virtual exploration of five unrealized Wright projects for Southwestern Pennsylvania including:

1.    a monumental reimagining of the Point (1947)

2.    a self-service garage for Kaufmann’s Department Store (1949)

3.    the Point View Residences designed for the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Trust (1952)

4.    the Rhododendron Chapel (1952)

5.    and a gate lodge for the Fallingwater grounds (1941).

The animation uses 3D rendering technology to choreograph camera paths and to shape lighting to produce the same type of visual effects used in the film industry to provide a multimedia experience. A viewing theater envelops visitors to show an expanded film of the three unrealized Pittsburgh designs.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Southwestern Pennsylvania was originally slated to conclude on March 17 but has been extended to October 5, 2025 due to popular demand. Co-organized by the Westmoreland Museum of American Art and Fallingwater, a property entrusted to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the exhibition is curated by Scott W. Perkins, Sr. Director of Preservation and Collections, Fallingwater, and Jeremiah William McCarthy, Chief Curator, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

The exhibition had received praise from the media:

The Wall Street Journal called it a “small but immensely rewarding exhibit”

Architectural Record said the exhibition’s animations, “help bring to life ambitious schemes that reveal Wright’s bold vision for a future driven by the automobile, post-war affluence, and innovative building technologies.”

Aileen Fuchs, president and executive director of the National Building Museum said, “Frank Lloyd Wright’s name is one of the first things that comes to mind when people hear the word ‘architecture.’ For the past year, we’ve given visitors a window into the mind of this legendary architect with a look at several of his realized and unrealized projects. By extending this exhibition, we hope more people will have the opportunity to examine Wright’s ideas and the impact these buildings that ‘might have been’ would have had on urban, suburban, and rural landscapes.”

MUSEUM HOURS – Thursday – Monday, 10 am – 4 pm. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Southwestern Pennsylvania is located on the second floor. Tickets: $10: Adults; $7: Youth (ages 3-17), Student with ID, Senior (ages 60+); Free: Museum Members. Purchase tickets online