Kentuck KNob

The Kentuck Knob is a building designed by the honorable Frank Lloyd Wright. The Kentuck Knob is one of Pittsburgh’s famous touring exhibits. Many people take the time to come down to marvel at the fascinating structure. The tourist attraction in Fayette County, just outside of Pittsburgh, has had much success so far.

By Zachary DeDionisio

Who was the architect in charge of the building of Kentuck Knob? In 1953, the Hagan family had asked Frank

Lloyd Wright to build them a new house on the 80 acres of mountainous land they had bought.

When talking to the Hagan family, Frank Lloyd Wright had stated that he could, “shake it[Kentuck Knob] out of his sleeves at will”, and it seems to have been proven true.

Who were the residents of Kentuck Knob? Since the completion of the house in 1956,

the Hagan family lived there for about thirty years.

In 1985 the Palumbo family had bought the house from the current residents to use it as a summer home. They are still the owners of the house.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

I.N. and Bernardine Hagan

Lord and Lady Palumbo

What style was the design of the house? Frank Lloyd Wright was known for his

Organic style of architect, and that was exactly what the Hagan family asked for.

An Organic Style house was a house that was usually built in a natural environment with natural products such as wood and stone.

A Usonian house was a house that was built to be popular, nice, yet also affordable.

Organic Usonian House

Where was the Kentuck Knob built? Kentuck Knob was built on the summit

of Chestnut Ridge in Stewart Township, Fayette County.

It was built in Laurel Highlands 7 miles south of Fallingwater and 6 miles from the National Road.

Mrs. Hagan comments that you can see the Youghiogheny River and a beautiful landscape of Laurel Highlands from the backyard.

Fayette County

Kentuck Knob Address723 Kentuck RoadChalk Hill, PA 15421

The Kentuck Knob is open for tours year round. Kentuck Knob is closed during January and February,

every Wednesday and these holidays; Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Grounds are closed at 5pm, 4pm during November and December.

There are five basic tours; the Regular Tour, the In-Depth Tour, the Remain of the Day Event, and the Exclusive Brunch Event. There is also the possibility of touring the Sculpture Garden by itself.

The Regular tour lasts for about 45mins. The In-Depth Tour is about 75mins long. The Remains of the Day tour is for people who want to vies the house in a more detailed perspective. During the Exclusive Brunch Event, guest are served a hand made brunch in a private room. After brunch a senior of Kentuck Knob gives the guest a tour. During the Sculpture Garden tour, you can wander around the beautiful displays of sculpture in the backyard.

When can you tour the Kentuck Knob?

Most Year : Frequently

Adult-Reserved $18.00 Adult $20.00 Youth (ages 6-12) $12.00 ReservedYouth(ages 6-12) $14.00 In-Depth $55.00Remains of the $80.00 Day Event Exclusive Brunch $100.00EventSculpture Garden $10.00

Questions about tours, please send an email to information@kentuckknob.com

Why is the Kentuck Knob a tourist attraction?

Lord and Lady Palumbo originally bought the house as a summer home, but they decided to turn it into a tourist attraction.

They still use it as a summer home, there is proof in the house, yet they use it less frequently.

The reason that so many people decide to visit the Kentuck Knob is that it is a Frank Lloyd Wright original. Because of how different his organic designs are from modern day architecture, people pay more attention to the differences and care put into the building.

Lord and Lady Palumbo

How did Kentuck Knob get it’s name? The name Kentuck Knob was named by an

eighteenth-century settler, David Askins. David meant to move from Western

Pennsylvania to Kentucky, but then he decided against it and remained at his very property. He named his piece of land, Little Kentuck. It also became known as the Kentuck District of Stewart Township.

The Kentuck District of Stewart Township is one of the county's several rural mountainous townships.

Ever since David Askins, the summit of the mountain property has been called Kentuck Knob, thus the house was called Kentuck Knob.

David Askins

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright was an amazing architect who

did many things other architects thought unreasonable and not possible.

Frank was especially famous for his use of organic architecture. Most architect were building bigger city buildings. Frank also started making residential homes with open rooms.

Even though Frank is known as a famous architect, he’s been in trouble for most of his life. Most of his buildings were built for looks, not a residential house, but he sold them to people to live in anyways.

He also lied a lot about the construction and the cost of construction. He would tell the people who wanted a building that it was $10,000, when he knew the cost range was more around $100,000. The cost of Kentuck Knob was an overall $96,000.

Famous Architect

Kentuck Knob The Kentuck Knob was built from

organic materials including tide water red cypress wood, natural sandstones, copper, glass, concrete, with stone walls.

There are two focal points in the house. The main one was the stone fireplace, and the other was the workspace.

The house was built on a hexagonal module. Most angles in the house are based from triangular and hexagonal angles.

The Inside Story

For more InformationWebsite:www.kentuckknob.com/index.htmlPhone:724-329-1901

Hagans and Palumbos

Hagans I.N. and Bernardine Bernardine Hagan died on

January 12, 2010 at the age of 100.

Bernardine wrote her own book about Kentuck Knob entitled, Kentuck Knob, Frank Lloyd Wright’s House for I.N. and Bernardine Hagan. She wrote the book at age 88 and had it published at age 96.

I.N. was part of the Hagan Ice Cream Company.

Palumbos Lord (Peter) and Lady

(Denia) Peter and Denia had one

son and two daughters. Lady Palumbo died in

1986. Lord Palumbo soon married Hayat Mroue.

Peter and Hayat also had one son and two daughters.

Peter is an art collector, a property developer, and an architecture connoisseur.

The Residents