We have been trying to tour this amazing facility for years. Today, the stars aligned. The Salk Institute has been described as one of the most significant architectural sites in the United States and has garnered accolades for its design and preservation. Salk’s original buildings, designed by preeminent American architect Louis Kahn in collaboration with founder Jonas Salk in the early 1960s, were declared a historical landmark in 1991.

For those who don't know, Jonas Edward Salk (1914-95) was an American medical researcher who discovered and developed the first successful polio vaccine. After this success  (and altering the course of history), Jonas Salk embarked on his next ambitious goal: establishing an institute that would serve as a home for basic scientific research with the power to redefine the human condition.

Founded in 1960, the Salk Institute remains one of the world's foremost research centers. Beyond its science, it is equally esteemed for its architecture which is what we came to explore. Today, more than 60 years after its construction, Louis Kahn's design continues to be heralded around the globe as an architectural icon.

As we began our tour, I was surprised to find this historic Eucalyptus Grove. Originally planted at the turn of the century to provide lumber for the growing city of San Diego, the tall eucalyptus trees (which were ultimately deemed unsuitable for building material) provide a natural setting for the approach to the labs. Inspired by the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, a monastery in the mountains of Italy, Kahn envisioned visitors wandering through the grove, discovering the secluded lab buildings as one would encounter a ruin, castle, or monument, timeless and aging naturally.

According to our self-guided tour map, "As we entered through the Corten steel gate (purposely oxidized), one passes between the boundary of a natural environment to a more ordered one. Orange trees are planted in a grid pattern symbolizing a cultivated garden that acts as the site of the origin of knowledge in many philosophies and religions." It is also one of the last times we see anything organic in this part of the property.

Kahn wanted a design that would be functional. Large, unobstructed laboratory spaces are able to adapt to the ever-changing needs of science and encourage researchers working in different fields to mingle and collaborate physical acknowledgment of Salk's philosophy that our sum can be greater than our parts.

The design is widely regarded as a modernist masterpiece. Dramatic but simple, the Institute incorporates open spaces and emphasizes natural light, water, and air. Academy Award- winning producer and actor Robert Redford handpicked the Institute to be featured as the only American building in the film Cathedrals of Culture. Pretty cool.

Louis Kahn's creation consists of two mirror-image structures that flank a grand courtyard. Each building is six stories (three floors are below ground) and contains original laboratory space. The structures are made of concrete, teak, lead, glass and special steel. The poured-in-place concrete walls create a bold first impression for visitors.

Kahn drew inspiration from Roman times to rediscover the waterproof qualities and the warm, pinkish glow of pozzolanic concrete. Once the concrete was set, he allowed no further processing of the finish-no grinding, no filling, and above all, no painting. The architect chose an unfinished look for the teak surrounding the study towers and west office windows, and directed that no sealer or stain be applied.

In response to Salk's request that the Institute provide a welcoming and inspiring environment for scientific research, Kahn flooded the laboratories with daylight. He built outer walls of the laboratory levels out of large, extra-strength glass pane, producing an open, airy work environment.

And running down the center of it all is the River of Life. What a perfect name for a place whose work has saved so many lives. The surface is majestic. Imported from Italy, the unfilled, unsealed, un-grouted slabs of Roman travertine feature a central narrow channel of water. Salk named this water feature River of Life as, for him, it personified the constant trickle of knowledge produced by the facility spilling out the collective body of knowledge, symbolized by the Pacific ocean (just beyond us). So dang cool.