Kentuck Knob of Frank Lloyd Wright - Pennsylvania

Kentucky Knob is the famous architectural wonder, built by celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956 as a symbol of "organic architecture," using natural materials. When Wright designed Kentucky Knob, he was already 86 years old, and was in the middle of designing 15 other buildings at the same time. However, when the Hagan family purchased the land and asked Wright to design this house for them, he took the opportunity to create something unique and esoteric. Wright is also famous for designing such buildings as the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Price Company Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and more. The Hagan family lived in Kentucky Knob for 30 years until they sold it in 1986. Since 1996 it has been open to the public for tours.

The house known as Kentucky Knob is built on a hexagonal grid, with the theme of 60 degree angles found almost everywhere throughout the house. It was constructed out of tidewater red cypress, glass, and 800 tons of native sandstone, with a copper roof that is supported by a strong stone core in the hexagonal kitchen. Glazed walls, a ventilation screen, and a large "invisible" window, break down the barriers between the inside and outside of the house. Inside, the main sitting room's large window is made of a single sheet of glass set directly in the stone surround, with a matching moss garden on each side of the glass. The house overlooks the Youghiogheny River Gorge and surrounding hills and farmlands, which offer a fantastic vista. The entrance to the house is a meadow, decorated by a series of original sculptures, featuring 35 major works which even the children will enjoy. Guests can guide themselves through the sculpture gardens, featuring works by Andy Goldsworthy, Ray Smith, and Sir Anthony Caro, or they can make reservations for a guided tour.

Kentucky Knob is open daily, except on major holidays, from 9 am to 4 pm in the winter, and longer hours in the summer. Tours are available on Monday at 2 pm, Tuesday through Friday at 11 am and 2 pm, and hourly from 11 am to 3 pm on the weekends, and last about one and a half hours. Reservations are required. Special occasion tours are also offered throughout the year, such as the Winter Solstice Tour, where guests enjoy a fancy dinner. From the visitor center there is a complimentary bus up the hill to Kentucky Knob, or visitors can walk through a path in the woods.

Kentucky Knob is located on Kentucky Road in Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania, and is most easily accessed by car. It is about a 2 hour drive from Pittsburgh off Route 51, and is also found off Route 381, from nearby Fallingwater which is seven miles away. We recommend you take the historic National Road, Route 40, for a scenic view on the way there.