Taking a walk around Kentuck Knob with Philip and Mary Ann Thomas from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.
From above, when the treetops are lush, the Youghiogheny River George is a carpet of mountain tops shading all that lies below. Looking out from Kentuck Knob, there are glints of an immense opening in the landscape just beyond the tree line, where a short path leads to a spectacular mountain view.
Wright's heralded organic architecture design ot Kentuck, poetic and warm, seamlessly melds into a hill surrounded by woodlands.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Palumbo knows Kentuck Knob's history and hallmarks well. "The story of the house is enchanting, how dairy farmers from the local area commissioned the world's most famous architect and lived here for over 30 odd years", he said.
Lord Peter Palumbo's family has owned the home for nearly 40 years. The National Historic Landmark was built in 1954 for Isac N. and Bernadine Hagan, owners of the former Hagan Ice Cream Co. in Unitown. They secured Wright's services via their friends, who forever changed American architecture when they hired Wright in the 1930s to design Fallingwater, just six miles down the road.
THE PALUMBO TOUCH
This noble British family has put it's own subtle stamp on Kentuck Knob, never with the intention of competing with the architecture or landscape. Although it's a house museum, Lord Palumbo's artefacts are sprinkled about the place, including framed family photos and a famous one - Lord Palumbo greeting his friend Princess Diana for her breakout moment donning the black "revenge" dress in 1994 at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens. The photo has been published around the world, but it's presence at Kentuck Knob is more about friendship than fandom. "I know my father misses Diana. Doesn't everyone?" Palumbo said.
Outside the home, Palumbo admires the "beautiful mature trees caressing sculptures by Andy Goldsworthy and Sir Anthony Caro." Down the hill near the visitors centre, four British phone boxes and other European items are unexpected quirks all born from the family's ownership.
"To understand Kentuck Knob, one must live there, season in and season out and experience it," wrote Christopher Hagan in the book Kentuck Knob, penned by his grandmother, Bernadine Hagan. It's not only the beauty of the architecture working in harmony with nature, but his grandparents' decorating and landscaping that make Kentuck "the most comforting, comfortable home imaginable."
The Hagans planted 8,000 trees there. The Palumbos went on to buy 650 acres of contiguous land to return it to wilderness and preserve habitat for wildlife.
The gift shop offers a selection of British merchandise, including the book Pocket Diana Wisdom: Wise and Inspirational Words from the People's Princess and other fun stuff like Solar Queen, a statue of Queen Elizabeth with a solar chip embedded in her purse to power a royal hand wave.
Compared to the English countryside, Palumbo likes the grand scale of Kentuck Knob's property perch and lookout where you can see for 50 miles. "The sunrise from the V in the mountains is so beautiful. The trees seem to be taller than where I'm from."
"You can almost imagine George Washington cutting through the thickets and red coats trembling because they are far from home and very visible"
Future plans are "very gentle innovations" including possibly adding an arboretum and transport museum featuring vehicles of all kinds.
"Preservation is innovation because it's hard to hold the line, it's easy to turn it into a sort of Disneyland, which is the last thing we want to do, particularly if you see yourself as a custodian, which is my position."
For Palumbo, Wright's work and success reflects America's inherent renovation. "Move forward, push boundaries and when you do it well, it's timeless,"
