Former owner of Wright house describes experience in book
Bernardine Hagan doesn’t believe she would have ever written a book about Kentuck Knob if the house hadn’t been opened to the public. “There were so many questions,’ she said. “Guides wanted to know how it was built, how we started. Then were would be new guides and guests. It got to the point where I thought it was best to write it down.’
The result is the recently published “Kentuck Knob: Frank Lloyd Wright’s House for I.N. and Bernardine Hagan.’ In the book, Mrs. Hagan tells the story of creating the beautiful mountaintop home that was opened to the public in 1996 by current owner British Lord Peter Palumbo. Mrs. Hagan’s book includes correspondence with Wright and photographs by her husband, a skilled amateur photographer.
Kentuck Knob, which was named a National Historic Landmark in 2000, is the second Fayette County house that renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed. The first was Fallingwater, located near Mill Run and built in the 1930s by Pittsburgh department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann and his family as a summer retreat.
The Hagans commissioned Wright to build Kentuck Knob after more than a decade of visiting Fallingwater. The two businessmen came to know each other after Kaufmann asked to have the Hagan Milk Company process and bottled milk for the Mountain Top Co-operative he had formed with local mountain farmers.
“Fallingwater was the only Wright house we had ever seen, but we started with the best,’ Mrs. Hagan said of the famed house built over a waterfall that the American Institute of Architects has named the most important building of the 20th century. “After that, we saw a lot of Wright buildings. We called him and came out to visit – it’s all in the book.’
Kentuck Knob, located just 7 miles from Fallingwater, is constructed of native sandstone, tidewater cypress and copper. As with Fallingwater, the home blends into its environment. Unlike Fallingwater, the Hagans used the house as a permanent residence, not a weekend retreat.
The Hagans, originally from Uniontown, moved into Kentuck Knob on July 29, 1956, their 26th wedding anniversary, and moved out in 1986 after Hagan developed Alzheimer’s. The couple moved back to Uniontown, and Hagan died in 1992.
Palumbo purchased Kentuck Knob in 1986 as a vacation home. After the Palumbos decided to open the home to the public, Mrs. Hagan began receiving those questions.
Two friends, Eleanor Ulmer and Gay Murray, encouraged her to write about her experiences. She began the book six years ago, writing while on vacation in Chautauqua, N.Y. Meanwhile, Cheryl Towers of The Local History Company in Pittsburgh saw an article on Mrs. Hagan and asked if the company could handle the book.
“They were new at publishing and I was new at writing,’ said Mrs. Hagan. “We managed to get together and do the book. I think it turned out nice.’
Mrs. Hagan, 96, reminisced about Kentuck Knob and her writing venture during a recent interview in her home, where furniture from her former home is incorporated.
“My husband always wanted to live in the mountains,’ said Mrs. Hagan. “He spent summers at Jumonville and loved the land.’
Hagan purchased the Pelish farm, a Chalk Hill property that consisted of about 80 acres. Mrs. Hagan said the couple who had owned it came from Austria and grew corn. They were told they could live there as long as they were alive.
Meanwhile, the Hagans continued their visits to Fallingwater, which started when their son, Paul, was about 9 years old. After a visit following Paul’s wedding in 1953, Hagan asked Kaufmann if he thought Wright would build them a house. Kaufmann advised they call, not write, and tell the architect just half of what they planned to spend.
The Hagans visited Wright in Wisconsin in August 1953 and early decisions were made, including the location of the house on the property.
In her book, Mrs. Hagan writes, “I made the choice. Since I would be alone a great deal of the time, I preferred to be high so I could see and hear anyone approaching. When informed of my decision and the reason for it, Mr. Wright’s comment was, ‘My clients are either perchers or nesters, and you are perchers.”
Mrs. Hagan explained the process of working with Wright: “You tell him the space you want and materials you like, and you go from there.’
Kentuck Knob was built on a hexagonal module with three bedrooms, two baths, a large living room, a central core that is divided into a utility room and kitchen, and a dining room. The Hagans asked to have the living and dining rooms enlarged. Wright agreed. They needed more ceiling height. Wright allowed just 6 feet, and Paul was 6 feet 2 inches tall. They were given 6 feet 7 inches. When the Hagans asked for more kitchen space since they might be snowbound during severe winter weather, Wright allowed them to have a small basement that was used for laundry, the furnace, a freezer and storage.
“This was quite a concession on his part, as he did not approve of basements and rarely included them in his buildings,” Mrs. Hagan wrote in the book.
Later, the storage room that contained the water pump also was extended. Mrs. Hagan wrote that it came to be known as the art room, as she painted there.
Although Wright had a reputation of being “hard to deal with,” Mrs. Hagan said she and her husband found him agreeable.
“With us, he was very nice. …There were things he said you could not do. But if you didn’t like his architecture, you wouldn’t have gone to him,” she said.
Mrs. Hagan’s book includes details on the local crew that built the home, including Herman Keys, who had also built the State Theatre Center for the Arts and Central School in Uniontown. Hagan’s photos detail the work from the beginning.
Wright visited Kentuck Knob only once while the house was being built, and Mrs. Hagan said he was pleased. He planned to visit again when the house was finished but died before it was completed.
The Hagans were thrilled with their new house.
“We both really loved the house,’ said Mrs. Hagan. “If you go through it, there’s no place you look that isn’t attractive. No matter where you sit, everything is in its proper place and has a proper design. When you walk around the outside, everything is in proper keeping.’
Other people also found it attractive and would stop by, asking to see the house.
“Wright followers find where you are,’ Mrs. Hagan said. “They came from all over the world. It was nice if they let you know ahead of time. Many times, they didn’t. When I got up in the morning, I had to make certain everything was in place. The house had to be in order.’
The Hagans made wonderful memories at Kentuck Knob. Mrs. Hagan spoke of dinner parties with friends and Christmases with the family. She invited her art group, the Wednesday Painters, to paint there. And no, she didn’t have a favorite room.
“I think they were all favorite rooms,’ she said.
It’s been nearly 20 years since the Hagans left Kentuck Knob. She still visits the site for special occasions.
But she noted, “You always miss it. There was something about it that was so satisfying, you never forget it.’
She said the new owners take wonderful care of it and that people appreciate it being open to the public.
And she’s glad she wrote the book.
“It didn’t seem like a particular chore, because I knew all this,” she said.
For information on visiting Kentuck Knob, check the Web site at www.kentuckknob.com or phone 724-329-1901.