I wonder, would anyone like to hire an architect to revisit Fallingwater itself with more current materials and build techniques? Many people like the house, but feel like there's room for improvement. Maybe build another house like Fallingwater, but built to 21st-century standards, at another location?

This set always holds a special place in my collection. It was the set that brought me out of my LEGO dark ages.

@MeisterDad said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"Well, this was definitely a Wright choice for the RSotD..."

What a frank thing to say."

I bet La-Loyd would appreciate all the green trees. Cause they’re green.

@JGW3000:
It’s the only one I’ve actually built. I did buy the White Tile Pack (Farnsworth), and I won the Chicago Skyline (still sealed). I wanted the latest Statue of Liberty, but never actually pulled the trigger on that. Definitely want Himeji Castle, though.

Ohh I have this. One of about 4 Architecture sets I have. Tried selling it but nobody wants it. Currently sitting on the shelf with some of my other Minecraft houses.

Classic!!

Back when architecture was in in, black, light gray or dark gray...

And these trans clear parts of course.

I still feel like these early sets were super parts inefficient. I understand that these were aimed at adults and were premium... but still. Those stacks of tiles at the side of the house will be barely noticable when built with actual bricks instead of this render. And I do mean only when you actively make light reflect off it.

This set is a special one for me. In 2009 Lego reached out to the fan community for story based ideas for future sets. I submitted a few, had some nice feedback and then a few weeks later, out of the blue, this set arrived in the post as a thank you :-)

One of those early lovely architecture sets before the architecture line.
So nice on display of a legendary building.

@WemWem said:
"I’d like to see them revisit this set with more current pieces and build techniques. I like this set, but I feel like there’s room for improvement."
I always contemplated getting the Fallingwater set from Wange, which looks way better than this, but then when I got the updated version of the Guggenheim Museum I had hopes that LEGO would redo other old Architecture sets like this one, or my favorite from back then, Robie House.

Wait, 99 USD in 2009 money for this? How?

@GSR_MataNui said:
" @ElephantKnight said:
"Tan is such a boring colour. It needs some spicing up. Add some trans neon green windows!

And then paint the rest black and white, cause tan just doesn't go with trans neon green."

That front balcony could also use a large bubble like windshield/dome to protect ships while parked there. Oh, and more satellite dishes, can never have enough of those! "

Crenellate.

I’d honestly never heard of this building before now. Maybe it’s not just the Bionicle sets that need lore drops…

This could make an interesting Minecraft set, but difficult to see the original building as need more contrast with grey stone vertical walls and painted balconies.

@ambr said:
"This could make an interesting Minecraft set, but difficult to see the original building as need more contrast with grey stone vertical walls and painted balconies."

A Minecraft version has actually been released: set 21134 ....

@lszlsmn said:
"Wait, 99 USD in 2009 money for this? How?"
When you look closer, there are a ton of smaller parts, and a piece is a piece is a piece, and smaller parts use more plastic than you would think compared to standard bricks. There's also licensing because this is based off an actual building and a rather famous architect designed it, too, so LEGO had to procure those rights. The packaging of these sets are also of a higher quality than that which would be on the shelves in other themes. Like @AustinPowers said, the Architecture sets were meant to appeal more to the adult market, and LEGO was really making these things out to be premium products.

@AustinPowers said:
" @lszlsmn said:
"Wait, 99 USD in 2009 money for this? How?"
Architecture sets tended to be the most expensive in the LEGO lineup for the first couple of years. You could say they were the first foray into sets aimed only at (affluent) adults, long before the 18+ label was introduced. "

That's weird, because nowadays Architecture is probably the best bang for your buck line of Lego. For example,You can get the 1700 piece Statue of Liberty for 65 euros pretty often. I got it used for less than half and frankly it is quite excellent looking. Even more recent sets' prices like the Giza Pyramid and the Himeji Castle have already dropped quite sharply.

@BrickJunkies said:
"FALLINGWATER 2.0

If you haven't seen it yet, you need to go check out Adam Reed Tuckers NEW Fallingwater model.
Adam designed the 1st Lego Fallingwater back on 2009 before there was an Architecture line of Lego... he created the line. 15 years later, and he just released a completly new version with over 4,300 pieces now. It's amazing looking. Go check it out !!!
https://theatombrick.com/collections/frontpage/products/fallingwater"

Wow, thanks for the link. It does look stunning indeed!

@AustinPowers said:
" @WemWem said:
"I’d like to see them revisit this set with more current pieces and build techniques. I like this set, but I feel like there’s room for improvement."
I always contemplated getting the Fallingwater set from Wange, which looks way better than this, but then when I got the updated version of the Guggenheim Museum I had hopes that LEGO would redo other old Architecture sets like this one, or my favorite from back then, Robie House. "

I own that set, here is a small review.
Looks: 11/10.
- The landscaping is not very accurate, but otherwise it looks great, except for the light blue water which I replaced with clear parts and added extra details to.
Building experience OOB: -100/10.
- Mainly the base/landscaping is just poorly supported which made it very annoying to assemble. I filled most of the insides with extra support and I also had to add temporary supports to the baseplate blocks as they are hollow.

I've long contemplated bricklinking this one, with some added colours, but haven't gotten around to it. I did pick up the name tile a while back when a seller I was ordering from happened to have it for a couple cents, so I've got that part locked down least.

I like the house quite a lot, and I think the model is still pretty good. It's still got that early Architecture vibe of being a representation of the building rather than a model replicating every detail, but with some grey for the masonry and green on the ground, it holds up.

@WemWem said:
"I’d like to see them revisit this set with more current pieces and build techniques. I like this set, but I feel like there’s room for improvement."

On the one hand, yes. On the other, I actually like what they did here with mostly just basic bricks, plates and tiles. Those few panel pieces are basically the only "special" pieces, at least from what's visible.

What works particularly well I think is the contrast between the studded landscape and the completely tiled building. The color makes it blend in (just like the original), the texture makes it stand out just enough.

The one thing that would seem like a big improvement would be a nicer base like later Architecture sets got.

I didn't like this set once I saw the real house. Just looks completely wrong without the red window frames and differentiation between the stonework and the lighter coloured cantilevered sections. And making the ground light tan was even worse. Can't see where the ground ends and the building begins! Feel like this one is ripe for an update

@johnnytifosi said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @lszlsmn said:
"Wait, 99 USD in 2009 money for this? How?"
Architecture sets tended to be the most expensive in the LEGO lineup for the first couple of years. You could say they were the first foray into sets aimed only at (affluent) adults, long before the 18+ label was introduced. "

That's weird, because nowadays Architecture is probably the best bang for your buck line of Lego. For example,You can get the 1700 piece Statue of Liberty for 65 euros pretty often. I got it used for less than half and frankly it is quite excellent looking. Even more recent sets' prices like the Giza Pyramid and the Himeji Castle have already dropped quite sharply."
True, but Architecture sets nowadays are not comparable to those earlier ones. Back then they were highly limited distribution items, and no expense was spared in their presentation. The instructions, the packaging, everything was as premium as possible, while current architecture sets are run of the mill in that regard, cheap packaging and instructions and available in huge numbers everywhere.

I've got this new in box waiting for a day when I have display space. If they release a new version, I don't know what I'll do. Sell for a better? Keep it because it's the OG, back when Architecture was a much more basic line?

@johnnytifosi said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"
True, but Architecture sets nowadays are not comparable to those earlier ones. Back then they were highly limited distribution items, and no expense was spared in their presentation. The instructions, the packaging, everything was as premium as possible, while current architecture sets are run of the mill in that regard, cheap packaging and instructions and available in huge numbers everywhere. "

Architecture packaging is still nicer than other Lego lines, it is thicker and reusable with a nice top opening flap. And the instructions have some introductory pages with details about the building."
It is? The last Architecture sets I bought had the same cheap packaging with push-tabs as every other set.
It's like with the Ideas line that also used to have the premium packaging and instructions and is now just like every other theme.

@AustinPowers said:
"
It is? The last Architecture sets I bought had the same cheap packaging with push-tabs as every other set.
It's like with the Ideas line that also used to have the premium packaging and instructions and is now just like every other theme. "

Maybe it changed in the most recent ones, but all my Architecture sets have the nice packaging. But all of the sets I own have been in the market for a really long time, like the New York skyline or the Statue of Liberty for example.

@Judgeguy said:
"I didn't like this set once I saw the real house. Just looks completely wrong without the red window frames and differentiation between the stonework and the lighter coloured cantilevered sections. And making the ground light tan was even worse. Can't see where the ground ends and the building begins! Feel like this one is ripe for an update"
As @WizardOfOss pointed out, they achieved contrast not with color, but with texture.

This is the set that made me realize there is more to Lego than space and Star Wars.

In the time I was building for my daughter, this the first set I bought exclusively for me.
I really love this set and the style of Frank Lloyd.
I also have the 21014 Villa Savoye designed by Le Corbusier and interpreted by Steen Sig Andersen in LEGO bricks.

@Binnekamp said:
"I still feel like these early sets were super parts inefficient. I understand that these were aimed at adults and were premium... but still. Those stacks of tiles at the side of the house will be barely noticable when built with actual bricks instead of this render. And I do mean only when you actively make light reflect off it."

What stacks of tiles? I’ve built it, and don’t recall what you’re talking about, or see it in the render.

@lszlsmn:
They paid royalties to the property owners, they paid outsiders to design the sets, they printed high-end perfect-bound instruction books with white text on black, they made fancy reusable boxes, and these were never really intended for large, efficient retail runs.

Realistic water

@PurpleDave said:
" @Binnekamp said:
"I still feel like these early sets were super parts inefficient. I understand that these were aimed at adults and were premium... but still. Those stacks of tiles at the side of the house will be barely noticable when built with actual bricks instead of this render. And I do mean only when you actively make light reflect off it."

What stacks of tiles? I’ve built it, and don’t recall what you’re talking about, or see it in the render."

Sorry, I meant plates. It was early for me XD

On the left of the building, on the image it's above the trees, you see a tan plate stack that looks like tiny brickwork on the render. Next to it is a stack of trans parts. What I meant is that the tan plates show seams on the render when in reality you won't see anything unless the light hits it just right. It'll just look like a featureless surface of tan.

@Binnekamp:
I don’t know if the intent was specifically to make it look like brickwork. Having built it, I know of two issues that could also be responsible. One is that they tried to keep the part palette to a minimum. You use a ton of 1x6 plates that are interlaced to build up the terrain, and at first it doesn’t make sense. Once you get a ways into it, it starts to make sense, but not right at first. So, if there are three ways a section could be built, it’s built with whichever one can be accomplished with parts that are already required elsewhere.

The other issue is that all the levels of the house are designed to be unstacked from each other, so each individual level has to be sturdy without relying on the structure above or below to reinforce it. Making everything out of plates allows more interlacing of parts to accomplish this. If you look on the far left side of the tall section, you can see how every other layer is a 1x3 plate, and the layers between are a 1x2 with the end of another 1x plate.

Some old images at the time gave it a shiny effect making me think it was gold. Today LEGO seems to photoshop metallic effects on all renders, making pearl look like drum lacquered, and drum lacquered look chrome.

You learn something new every day: I've seen the picture of this set in the database several times and had no idea it was a house, or even a building at all. Now that I know, I can kinda see it: but I took all the tan to be rock and all the clear to be water and I guess just kinda assumed it was some uncommonly shaped canyon with several waterfalls.

Now that I've actually googled what it looks like in real life, I guess all I have to say is... huh. interesting.

We managed to visit the real thing on the way to watch our Padres play the Pirates years back. Fascinating place that I never felt was captured well in that set.

Got this for US$69 back then, and it was the last Architecture set I bought (had a total of 7 Architecture sets in my collection).