Kentuck Knob facts for kids
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Isaac Newton and Benardine Hagan House
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 723 Kentuck Road, Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania |
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| Nearest city | Uniontown, Pennsylvania |
| Built | 1953–56 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style | Usonian |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000708 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 16, 2000 |
| Designated NHL | May 16, 2000 |
Kentuck Knob, also known as the Hagan House, is a special home designed by the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is located in a quiet, rural area called Stewart Township, near Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania. This unique house is about 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. In 2000, it was named a National Historic Landmark because of its amazing design.
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Exploring Kentuck Knob's Location
Kentuck Knob is a one-story house that covers about 2,300 square feet (214 square meters). It sits on Chestnut Ridge, which is part of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains. The house is tucked into the southern side of Kentuck Knob's peak, which is 2,050 feet (625 meters) high.
The house is surrounded by 79 acres (32 hectares) of mountainous land. This land used to be a farm. The original owners, I.N. and Bernardine Hagan, planted many trees here. These trees help keep the house private and block the wind. From the top of the mountain, you can see amazing views of the Youghiogheny River gorge and the hills around it.
Kentuck Knob is only four miles south of another very famous house designed by Wright, called Fallingwater. Both houses are in Pennsylvania's beautiful Laurel Highlands area.
Design and Features of Kentuck Knob
Frank Lloyd Wright used special materials to build Kentuck Knob. He chose tidewater red cypress wood, glass, and local sandstone. The roof is made of copper. The house cost $96,000 to build.
Wright was 86 years old when he designed Kentuck Knob. He was also working on many other big projects at the time. These included the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Beth Sholom Synagogue in Pennsylvania. He even said he could "shake it (Kentuck Knob) out of his sleeve at will." This means he found the design very easy. He only visited the building site once during construction. Kentuck Knob was one of the last homes Wright completed before he passed away.
The house has a unique crescent shape. It curves around a courtyard that faces west. This design helps the house blend in with the natural shape of the land. The center of the house is a hexagonal stone core. This core rises up from the roof where the living and bedroom areas meet.
The carport (where cars are parked) and a studio are built into the hillside. They help form the eastern side of the courtyard. On the west side of the courtyard, there's a stone planter with a cool copper light fixture. This light has a triangular shade.
The southern part of the house extends out over the hillside. It is supported by strong, stone-covered concrete walls that are 10 inches thick. Like many of Wright's designs from this time, Kentuck Knob uses a special system called a "module." Here, it's based on an equilateral triangle that measures 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 meters) on each side. This creates the house's unique L-shape.
Wright chose to build the house slightly below the very top of the hill. He wanted the house to feel like it was growing out of the land, not just sitting on top of it. He also made sure the house faced south and west. This way, it gets the best sunlight throughout the day.
The Story of Kentuck Knob
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The story of the Hagan House began in 1953. I.N. and Bernardine Hagan owned a big dairy company in Western Pennsylvania. They bought 80 acres (32 hectares) of mountain land east of their hometown, Uniontown. The Hagans were friends with the Kaufmann family, who owned the famous Fallingwater house nearby. Because of this friendship, the Hagans asked Frank Lloyd Wright to design a special home for them. Wright was 86 years old at the time. The house was finished in 1956. The Hagans lived at Kentuck Knob for almost 30 years.
In 1986, a man named Lord Palumbo from London, UK, bought Kentuck Knob. He paid $600,000 for it and used it as a vacation home. Since 1996, the Palumbo family has allowed the public to tour the house. This way of managing historic homes is more common in Britain than in the United States.
The Palumbos also added a sculpture garden near the bottom of the mountain. Here, you can see 35 sculptures by different artists. Some of these artists include Andy Goldsworthy, Claes Oldenburg, and Sir Anthony Caro. There are also interesting "found object" art pieces. These include a French public urinal (called a pissoir), red British telephone boxes, and a large piece of the Berlin Wall. You can reach this sculpture meadow by walking through the woods from the house or the visitors center.
The name "Kentuck Knob" comes from an early settler named David Askins. In the late 1700s, he planned to move from Pennsylvania to Kentucky. But he changed his mind and stayed on this property. He named his land "Little Kentuck." Later, the area became known as the Kentuck District of Stewart Township. Since then, the highest point of the property has been called Kentuck Knob.
Images for kids
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Kentuck Knob from the front
See also
In Spanish: Kentuck Knob para niños
- List of Frank Lloyd Wright works
