{"id":6490,"date":"2019-08-13T13:21:39","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T13:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=6490"},"modified":"2019-08-13T13:33:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T13:33:21","slug":"inspiration-frank-lloyd-wrights-kentuck-knob","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/inspiration-frank-lloyd-wrights-kentuck-knob\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspiration: Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Kentuck Knob"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kentuck Knob, or the Hagan House is a National Historic Landmark. It was designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is at 723 Kentuck Road, Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania, about four miles south of Fallingwater, probably Wright’s most famous house.<\/p>\n

\"Entrance
Entrance to Kentuck Knob
Photo by Ocitim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My cousin just visited Kentuck Knob with her family and posted pictures. I had never heard of it, so I did some research.<\/p>\n

Usonian Architecture<\/h2>\n

Kentuck Knob is Usonian. What is Usonian? It was new to me. \u00a0Frank Lloyd Wright invented the word. It is from US, the United States. Not American Style, America is two continents. Wright is probably best known for designing Prairie house designs. \u00a0He developed Usonian houses to be well designed and affordable. He designed them to be prefab house kits with easily assembled pre-cut materials.<\/p>\n

Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Usonian houses have low roofs. Skylights and windows provide a lot of light. The houses include built-in furniture. Like his Prairie style homes, they use natural materials, unpainted wood, brick, stone and a lot of glass.<\/p>\n

Small Houses<\/h3>\n

Usonian homes were relatively small, around 1500 square feet, with a single story and no attic or basement. They could be built on a concrete slab. They had open floor plans with few inside walls. The kitchen, dining room and living room are a single living area. Many had a carport instead of a garage.<\/p>\n

Usonian Automatic houses were built of concrete blocks on a slab. Wright liked decorative and patterned concrete blocks. Usonian Automatic could be built by less skilled laborers, perhaps even the home owner. \u00a0Many of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Usonian innovations are what we now think of as Midcentury Modern.<\/p>\n

Frank Lloyd Wright built more than a hundred Usonian houses during his lifetime and Kentuck Knob is a good example. It was one of the last houses Wright completed.<\/p>\n

Kentuck Knob\u2019s Usonian Features<\/h2>\n
\"Kentuck<\/a>
Kentuck Knob wraps around a central courtyard.
Photo by Kafziel Click to open larger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kentuck Knob, like so many of Wright\u2019s homes, was designed to fit into its setting. The house is L-shaped, wrapping around a courtyard.<\/p>\n

\"A
A flat-roofed carport and studio are built into the hill on one side of Kentuck Knob.
Portion of photo by Kafziel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The walls of the flat-roofed carport and studio are built into the knob on one side.<\/p>\n

\"A
A stone planter finishes the side of Kentuck Knob.
Portion of photo by Kafziel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A stone planter finishes the other side.<\/p>\n

\"Kentuck<\/a>
Kentuck Knob is built into the hillside.
Photo by Jeff Kubina, Columbia, Maryland Click to open larger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kentuck Knob is built into the hillside. Wright believed that homes should be in harmony with their natural surroundings.<\/p>\n

\"The
The hexagonal core in the L between the two wings.
Portion of a photo by Teemu008, Palatine, Illinois<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A six-sided stone core rises above the hipped roof at the intersection of the living and bedroom wings.
\nKentuck Knob is roofed with copper and has copper lighting. The copper has verdigrised to green.<\/p>\n

\"Kentuck
Kentuck Knob is made of tidewater red cypress, glass, and native sandstone.
Photo by Jeff Kubina, Columbia, Maryland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The house is built of natural materials; tidewater red cypress, glass, and native sandstone.<\/p>\n

The design incorporates a lot of light. The wings face south and west, to best catch the sun.<\/p>\n

\"Kentuck
Kentuck Knob has glass walls and hexagonal skylights on the porch.
Photo by Eritak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are skylights on the porch.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up
Close-up of the hexagonal skylights on the porch
Photo by Ocitim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The skylights are hexagonal, like the stone core of the house.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fallingwater, a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for friends of the Hagans
Photo by Esther Westerveld<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who were the Hagans?<\/h2>\n

The Hagans had a dairy business. They were friends with the Kaufmanns, owners of Fallingwater, so they asked Frank Lloyd Wright to design a house for them.<\/p>\n

Why is it called Kentuck Knob?<\/h2>\n

A knob is a prominent round hill. The house is built on a knob in the Kentuck District of Stewart Township. An early settler, David Askins, planned to go to Kentucky. When he didn\u2019t, he renamed the area he was in Little Kentuck.<\/p>\n

Frank Lloyd Wright<\/h2>\n

Frank Lloyd Wright lived from June 8, 1867 till April 9, 1959. He designed over a thousand buildings. He built Fallingwater in 1935 when he was 67 years old. He was 86 when he built Kentuck Knob.<\/p>\n

\"Historic
Historic photo of the Midcentury Modern Interior of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Kentuck Knob<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wright was also an interior designer. Many of his designs included the furnishings. He included built-in furniture at Kentuck Knob.<\/p>\n

\"Historic
Historic photo of the Midcentury Modern Interior of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Kentuck Knob<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The house had built-in seating and shelves.<\/p>\n

\"Historic
Historic photo of the Midcentury Modern Interior of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Kentuck Knob<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This photo also shows built-in seating and shelving.<\/p>\n

\"Historic
Historic photo of the Midcentury Modern Interior of Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Kentuck Knob<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wright believed that homes and other buildings should be in harmony with both the setting and the people living in them. His Prairie School movement revolutionized architecture. Wright’s Usonian homes were an innovation in affordable housing.<\/p>\n

Featured Image: Photo by Jeff Kubina, Columbia, Maryland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kentuck Knob, or the Hagan House is a National Historic Landmark. It was designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is at 723 Kentuck Road, Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania, about four miles south of Fallingwater, probably Wright’s most famous house. My cousin just visited Kentuck …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,1,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-research","category-small-house-history"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/featured-kentuck_knob.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16329,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2025\/09\/inside-louis-penfield-house-usonian-design-by-frank-lloyd-wright\/","url_meta":{"origin":6490,"position":0},"title":"Inside Louis Penfield House Usonian Design by Frank Lloyd Wright","author":"Carla","date":"September 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Discover how Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian homes provide practical strategies for a cohesive and comfortable home that reflects your lifestyle and tastes. Usonian homes have a deep connection to nature, functional efficiency, and an inviting aesthetic. Although they were designed nearly 100 years ago, you may be able to use\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiration"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiration","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/inspiration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Usonian Design: Louis Penfield House and RiverRock House Photo by Stilfehler","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/featured_image-Usonian_Design_Louis_Penfield_House-interior.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/featured_image-Usonian_Design_Louis_Penfield_House-interior.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/featured_image-Usonian_Design_Louis_Penfield_House-interior.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/featured_image-Usonian_Design_Louis_Penfield_House-interior.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16327,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2025\/09\/frank-lloyd-wrights-usonian-design-louis-penfield-house-and-riverrock-house\/","url_meta":{"origin":6490,"position":1},"title":"Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Usonian Design: Louis Penfield House and RiverRock House","author":"Carla","date":"September 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Louis Penfield House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. 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Cliff works for Schlage locks and was unhappy with my choice of vintage style glass door knobs. He is perfectly content with using them on the closets, though.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Our New House"","block_context":{"text":"Our New House","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/new-house\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Putting Glass Door Knobs on the Closet Doors \u2013 Project Small House","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/featured-Putting-Glass-Door-Knobs-on-the-Closet-Doors.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/featured-Putting-Glass-Door-Knobs-on-the-Closet-Doors.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/featured-Putting-Glass-Door-Knobs-on-the-Closet-Doors.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/featured-Putting-Glass-Door-Knobs-on-the-Closet-Doors.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14869,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/1116-square-foot-pearlman-mountain-cabin\/","url_meta":{"origin":6490,"position":3},"title":"1,116 square foot Pearlman Mountain Cabin","author":"Carla","date":"August 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The 1,116 square foot Pearlman Mountain Cabin is in the Idyllwild art community of Mount San Jacinto, California. It was designed by a renowned architect, then built by family. The cabin was designed and built to be a weekend cottage for the family of a doctor in Santa Ana, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Plans"","block_context":{"text":"House Plans","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/house-plans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/featured-Pearlman_Mountain_Cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/featured-Pearlman_Mountain_Cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/featured-Pearlman_Mountain_Cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/featured-Pearlman_Mountain_Cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3131,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/putting-in-the-doors\/","url_meta":{"origin":6490,"position":4},"title":"Putting in the Doors","author":"Carla","date":"June 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Tuesday the doors were delivered. 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