duncan house at polymath park resort

I have been a Frank Lloyd Wright fan for a long time and to be able to actually stay in a house he designed was so much fun. It is located really close to Kentuck Knob and Fallingwater, so we were able to visit them as well. Heather, one of the owners, arranged for us to have a delicious meal waiting in our refrigerator too. Yum, yum. We want to come back in season so we can visit all the houses on the property.

We have been waiting until our son turned six to bring him on the Fallingwater tour, combined with a stay at Polymath Park. His birthday coincided with the year of our 15th wedding anniversary, so it was perfect timing for a special family trip.Heather was extremely accommodating and entertained all my questions before our stay. I felt well-prepared for the trip. And my son was so excited to be able to actually touch the furniture at Duncan after his Fallingwater tour! Everything was quite clean, bed linens and towels are provided just like a hotel. There is a kind of "Faux" kitchen you can use which includes a refrigerator and freezer, toaster oven, microwave and Kuerig coffee machine. They also provide the coffee pods, creamers and sweeteners. I read most of the reviews here so I knew that the Duncan House is a restoration project in progress. Think of it as a home completely reflective of the mid-century modern period. This is not shiny and new. You really do feel as though you are living in a post-war Usonian. The landscape is beautiful...in fact we woke up to a deer outside our window! This is a very rural part of PA...remember to pack everything you will need. There is no running down to the corner to grab some tylenol or a bottle of wine....or wine then a bottle of tylenol. =)The Treetops restaurant in also on the site. We were delivered a delicious meal...it felt so decadent to have room service! If you bring young ones...it was delightful to have no television in the main room, there is one in the master bedroom but we never turned it on. The home does have Wifi. Bring a board game or two! The home itself is just fascinating. The paneling, the built ins..the narrow hallway. We were so curious to see the bottom floor which is locked off....but the original home never had the bottom floor....Heather and Tom completed it when the house was moved to its current location and it is now used for functions. There are some aesthetic parts to the home that eventually will need repair and have obvious water damage. When you think of the reassembly of this home, it's in incredible condition. Highly recommend for a quiet family getaway.

I love snooping around other people's houses, and on the Polymath Park tour you get to wander around three houses, and you can sit on the furniture and everything! In a stroke of good luck, we got the tour from the owner himself, which made it extra fascinating. After the slickly polished operations at nearby Frank Lloyd Wright properties, Polymath is a surprise. No fancy schmancy visitor center, you just check in at the restaurant (where you would be wise to schedule a nice meal, as long as you're there), and are shuttled by van up into the property. You learn that it was once intended to be a cottage colony for vacationers from Pittsburgh, but the project fell apart in the 1960's and only two homes were built. Roads are unpaved, and the homes are small, modest "cabins" ... except designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and disciples. The FLW-designed Duncan House was rescued from demolition and brought from Illinois. You have to clamor in and out of the van at each stop, and the ground around the houses is uneven, so if you have accessibility concerns, best to let them know when you book. Inside, however, there are no stairs. I think this would be okay for kids, because touching things is allowed, and there was lots of time to snoop around unguided; also easy access to the outside if someone needs a time out or a place to run around with daddy while mommy looks at the kitchens. A surprise was the unmade beds in some rooms. The houses are available for overnight stays, and the cleaning crew had obviously not been in yet. There's something you're not going to see on most house tours!

We visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater three years ago, so we decided to stop here for a tour of Polymath Park, since we were back in the area. The one hour tour consists of being driven through the dense forest in a van by your guide. You are expertly guided through the houses and learn all things "Wright". The three homes on the tour, "The Blum House", "The Balter House", and "The Duncan House" were not built by Frank, but by his apprentice Peter Berndtson, but they are unmistakably the Wright's signature design. Each house has its own fascinating history, especially the Duncan House which was moved from Illinois and rebuilt and restored at Polymath. The tour was rather steep in price, and it was only later that we realized there was a significant savings if we had used Groupon. For those who must attest to have slept in a Frank Llyoyd Wright home, all three homes are available for nightly rental. Tours are only available in the afternoons.

Had the tour by Tom the owner who has such passion for the homes and property. Amazing restoration and upkeep with personal ownership and humble pride.Tree tops is tranquil relaxing and lovely. Food is fresh and delicious. The multi talented staff is equally passionate. Great experience. Thanks!

To round out a weekend visit to see Wright sites in the Laurel Highlands, my wife and I toured Duncan House and its sister houses, which were designed by a Wright apprentice. The owner of the properties drove the tour van and gave the tour, which gave the tour a homespun quality, and made the experience especially compelling, as he could speak with authority and passion about the history of the site and how a Wright home made its way from Illinois. If you are so inclined, you can even stay overnight in these homes.

I have known about Polymath Park for many years, and even though it is closer to my house than Fallingwater or Kentuck Knob or any other FLW buildings, I had not visited until last month. We were lucky enough to be on a tour led by Tom, who owns the resort, so we got first-hand information about the three houses in Polymath Park and how they came to be. Anyone who has been on a tour of a Frank Lloyd Wright house knows the first rule is DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING. In the Duncan House, you can touch EVERYTHING. You can sit on the furniture, you can caress the wood paneling (if that's your thing), you can use the bathroom (though that's taking it a bit far, in my opinion). You can even stay overnight, though I doubt one night would be enough for me.The other two houses in the park and on the tour are lovely as well. They are not FLW houses, but they were designed by an FLW apprentice in the Usonian style. The Balter House is nestled in the trees and features a cantilevered sun room and lots of skylights that let the natural light illuminate the living spaces. The Blum House sits in a bright clearing looking over a gorgeous flowering meadow and was the favorite of many on our tour. Both houses are also available for overnight stays.A shuttle takes you to each house, so there is not a lot of walking, but you do have to take a couple of big steps to get into the van, so it can be tricky for people with mobility issues.

The house has been beautifully reconstructed on a picture perfect site.The over night stay gives you a great experience of how a FLW house feels to live inThe tree top restruant is amazing. Great service and really good food. We met other very friendly local couples there that added to the perfect evening.Treat yourself and enjoy this wonderful experience!

This is the most livable of any of the FLW houses that we saw. Again there were not many people on our tour so we got extra attention to our questions etc.

So Duncan House is one of the only rentable Frank Lloyd Wright properties in the country. The extended family wanted to do a weekend away hitting Fallingwater, and what better experience to have than to spend a few nights in one of his houses?! Just on paper alone - to say you spent a couple of nights in a FLW house - is worth it.You always wonder when you see a FLW house - I wonder how practical it really is? Does FLW think people don't ever want to eat (and thus barely any dining room space)? (Answer: Yes) Does FLW think 6 people really want to share a bathroom? (Answer: apparently Yes in Duncan House). Does FLW feel the living room should be 3 sizes too large because everyone in the future will be interesting and having continuous dinner parties with other interesting people (Answer: Apparently Yes in the Duncan House). The bottom line is - it's FLW. FLW is not all that practical. FLW is aspirational/whimsical. And it was great fun! Do it once. Laugh at the layout. Giggle at the dated fabrics. The other thing to tell you is that Duncan house is decidedly "a work in progress". The eaves were under repair, and during the rainy weekend, we could see several areas in the roof where the water was coming thru to the yard. And you'll also confirm that while FLW's homes look beautiful, they are often impractical maintenance nightmares (i.e., there's a flat roof for the car port. general rule: never build a flat roof ever for anything).If you're a FLW fan - this is the perfect bookend to a weekend at Fallingwater. FYI - I've written a separate review of TreeTops restaurant. Bottom line - it's OK, but the "rave" reviews I am reading about - that was not my experience. That said - it's right there in the resort and has a beautiful deck.

If you are planning a trip to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, don't miss the opportunity to tour Polymath Park and stay in either Duncan House or Balter House. We stayed in Balter and it was wonderful. Nestled in the trees, screened porch cantilevered into the forest and master bedroom has three walls of windows. Perfect tour of all three houses (Blum is the other one, and you can stay overnight in all three) by Sheila, wonderful and kind hospitality of Heather, and truly exceptional dinner (which was delivered to our house) from Treetops Restaurant. Can't wait to go back again!

This is a rare opportunity to spend the night at a Frank Lloyd Wright property. Since we were only 2 people, we stayed at Blum House, designed by one of his apprentices. The price on weeknights is a bargain, especially if there are more than just 2 of you (house has 3 bedrooms)We enjoyed walking to the other 2 houses and also to the small pond within Polymath Park. I think maybe Balter House is in a slightly prettier setting (woodsy), and Duncan House was designed by FLW himself, but we enjoyed the charms of Blum House.While I was nervous about staying there in July without a/c, once all the windows were opened and the delicious cross breeze kicked in, we were actually very comfortable and didn't even use the fans. So peaceful. We enjoyed sitting on the outside tables and eating our dinner and breakfast out there.What a treat in summer to enjoy the fireflies/lightning bugs buzzing around the meadow. We also saw several deer. The beds and furniture are all comfortable, and the kitchen has all the basics if you want to cook or prepare a meal. Dining options are very limited (and we were there on a Monday night when TreeTops Restaurant is not open). About an 7 minute drive away is the Donegal exit off the Turnpike, with a couple of mini marts, a McDonalds, Dairy Queen and a Holiday Inn that seems to have a restaurant.

The owner went out of her way to coordinate a visit a day before we arrived from NYC. She gave us a private tour of both the Blum and Duncan houses. The houses are well maintained with great attention to detail - this is a private project and the love of architecture in general and FLW in particular is evident.Bravo to the owners for saving these wonderful pieces of architectural history!

Hi Susan, Thank you for your recent stay at the Duncan House and I am glad that you enjoyed your dining experience at TREETOPS! Please remember that the Duncan house and all Wright overnights are attempting to depict a feel of the era that they were built. It is about the experience of emersion. The best part of it is going back in time! All of our staff on the property and at the restaurant are equipped to answer questions about the houses. Your server would have been happy to answer any questions you had while you were at dinner and as always we are only a phone call away. In the time it took for you to write this review I would have been happy to have a lovely conversation with you about the details of the DUNCAN HOUSE. To say or assume that we could pay a little more attention to the house is a disheartening comment. I do like the idea of having a written piece in the home for our guests- (there is a magazine in the home telling the whole story) however, it still would not have fulfilled your questions of cork flooring in one bath and not the other... or the railing in the living area... those questions can be answered on a tour. Perhaps, if you get back to the area you could take a tour, complimentary of course! I would love to answer all of your questions- as an avid FLW fan myself! Take Care and thank you again for your stay!

Much different from his own house and other Oak Park dwellings as well as nearby Falling Water. Fortunately this was saved and moved to Western PA. See the other bldgs here also. Nice restaurant at Treetops. Very creative and really helps show what he was trying to accomplish with his architectural view of a home.