Spindletop Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Spindletop Hall
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 Location in Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3414 Iron Works Pike Lexington, Kentucky, United States 40511 |
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| Built | 1936-1937 |
| Architect | E.T. Hutchings |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 12000447 |
| Added to NRHP | September 20, 2012 |
Spindletop Hall is a beautiful mansion in Lexington, Kentucky. It used to be the home of Pansy Yount. Her husband, Miles Franklin Yount, was a very successful oil businessman. Today, Spindletop Hall is a special club. It's for the staff, teachers, and former students of the University of Kentucky. This club started in 1962.
History of Spindletop Hall
On November 14, 1925, Frank Yount found a lot of oil. This happened at the Spindletop oil field in Beaumont, Texas. The field had been mostly used up. But this new discovery brought in huge amounts of oil. Over 340,000 barrels of oil came from each acre every year. In just five years, more than 50 million barrels were pumped out.
Now that they were very rich, Miles Frank and his wife, Pansy, started a horse farm. They raised American Saddlebred horses in Beaumont. They quickly became famous in the horse world.
Frank Yount sadly passed away on November 13, 1933. He was 53 years old. Pansy Yount became very wealthy. She decided to move to Kentucky to start fresh. Spindletop Farm was created in 1935. It was built on 836 acres of land. This land was once called Shoshone Stud Farm.
Building Spindletop Hall cost one million dollars. Construction began in 1935 and took two years. Mrs. Yount wanted the house to be a showplace for Kentucky. It was a modern mansion with classical architecture.
When finished, the mansion had 40 rooms. Each room had its own thermostat. There were 14 bathrooms and 133 doors. It also had 102 windows with copper screens. There were 11 fireplaces. The whole house covered over 45,000 square feet. At the time, its circular staircase was the largest in Kentucky. The living room was also the biggest, at 30 by 60 feet.
Mrs. Yount later made the farm even bigger. It grew to 1,066 acres. The property had 7 miles of metal fences. There were 17 houses for workers. It also had 18 barns for the horses. The farm included a greenhouse, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. There were also two birdhouses and three dog kennels. Pansy Yount lived at Spindletop Hall. Her adopted daughter, Mildred, lived there too. William Capers "Cape" Grant, her third husband and horse trainer, also lived there.
In early 1959, Spindletop Farm was sold to the University of Kentucky. It cost $850,000. Mrs. Yount passed away in 1962. In the same year, Spindletop Hall became a club. It was for the University of Kentucky's staff, teachers, and former students. The club has grown a lot. It now has nearly 1,800 families and individuals as members.
Inside the Mansion
The Main Floor
Grand Entrance Hall
The heavy bronze doors in the foyer were very expensive. They cost $14,000 when the house was built. There was a similar pair of doors in the library. The original rug was made to match the fancy ceiling. The panels in the stairwells helped sound travel. They acted as echo chambers for the organ in the music room.
Music Room
To the right of the Grand Entrance Hall is the Music Room. A special cabinet near the fireplace held valuable musical instruments. These included two Stradivarius violins. There was also an automatic organ.
The walls are made of beautiful burled mahogany wood. The mantelpiece is made of imported marble. Crystal chandeliers and wall lights came from Czechoslovakia.
Library
Steps lead from the music room to the Library. Before Mrs. Yount gave the property away, there were over 7,000 books here. The books you see now are gifts from club members. In the middle of the room is a fireplace mantel. It was brought from Trentham Hall in England. Bronze doors in this room lead outside to the porte-cochere.
Elizabethan Living Room (Oak Room)
This room is also known as the Oak Room.
Formal Dining Room
This was where formal meals were served.
Kitchens
The kitchens were designed for preparing meals for many people.
Informal Dining Room
This room was used for more casual meals.
French Powder Room
This was a small, elegant restroom.
Upper Level
Adam Suite (Manion Suite)
This suite of rooms is also called the Manion Suite.
Louis XVI Suite (Yount Suite)
This suite is also known as the Yount Suite.
Mr. Grant's Room (Board of Directors Room)
This room was Mr. Grant's personal space. Today, it is used as the Board of Directors Room.
The Colonial Room (Kentucky Room)
This room has a colonial style. It is also called the Kentucky Room.
Linen Closet
This closet was used for storing linens.
Guest Rooms and Baths (Administrative Offices)
These rooms were once for guests. Now, they are used as administrative offices.
Spanish Room (Sales and Operations Offices)
This room has a Spanish design. Today, it houses the sales and operations offices.
- McKinley, Fred B., and Greg Riley. Black Gold to Bluegrass: From the Oil Fields of Texas to Spindletop Farm of Kentucky. Austin: Eakin Press, 2005.
