Little Loomhouse
Encyclopedia
The Little Loomhouse is a place on the National Register of Historic Places
in the Kenwood Hill neighborhood on the south side of Louisville, Kentucky
. It consists of three log cabin
s from the nineteenth century Victorian Era
: Esta Cabin, Tophouse, and Wisteria Cabin. It not only displays weavings, but demonstrates how they are made as well. It is the biggest repository of original and classic textile patterns in the United States.
Among the history of the cabins have been the visits of first ladies, and the creation of the song Happy Birthday to You
. However, it is in constant state of defending against deterioration.
The Esta Cabin encapsulates the history of the Loomhouse, and is the cabin where the song "Happy Birthday to You" was first sung. The cabin was first built by a Beoni Figg in 1870 as a business office for his charcoal
, lumber, and quarries interests. It has been enlarged since then from a two-room cabin. One of these enhancements replaced the vertical split log siding with board and batten
. In 1939 Lou Tate acquired the cabin and based her weaving business there, living on the property until her death in 1979. On a visit in the 1940s while still the First Lady
, Eleanor Roosevelt
crushed a floorboard, which she later signed; it is now lost. While visiting the Loomhouse, Mrs. Roosevelt bought woven mats that would see use in the White House
. Displays of weaving decorate the interior.
Harvey Sloane helped in a rededication ceremony celebrating the restoration of the cabin.
The Tophouse was built as a summer home for the well-to-do Sam Stone Bush in 1896. It was made of oak harvested from the hill upon which it stands. It was acquired by Tate in 1939 for using her looms. Since that time it has been used for looms, save during World War II
when supplies dwindled, and she rented out the cabin for both funding and providing a defense worker's family a place to live. Although endangered by development in the 1960s and 1970s, it still stands today as the home of the looms from which the Little Loomhouse gains its name, and where weaving is still taught.
For many years, the Loomhouse sold a small portable table loom designed by First Lady Lou Henry Hoover
, wife of President Herbert Hoover
.
In his 1948 visit to Louisville, Frank Lloyd Wright
praised both the cabins and the setting. In 1940, he described it as "board-and-batten summer houses, set down in the dignity of nature".
In 2007, the cabins were deteriorating. Stefanie Buzan put it succinctly: "They weren't built to last this long." Problems include tree trimming, sagging floors, and preventing the cabins from falling down the side of Kenwood Hill by using reinforcements. It is hoped that a second edition of Buzan's book will raise funds for these needed repairs, as the money made normally by the Loomhouse is not enough for the needed repairs.
It is open Tuesday through Thursday, and the third Saturday of each month, but never on Thanksgiving
, Christmas
, Christmas Eve, or the day after Christmas.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in the Kenwood Hill neighborhood on the south side of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. It consists of three log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
s from the nineteenth century Victorian Era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
: Esta Cabin, Tophouse, and Wisteria Cabin. It not only displays weavings, but demonstrates how they are made as well. It is the biggest repository of original and classic textile patterns in the United States.
Among the history of the cabins have been the visits of first ladies, and the creation of the song Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
. However, it is in constant state of defending against deterioration.
Esta Cabin
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, lumber, and quarries interests. It has been enlarged since then from a two-room cabin. One of these enhancements replaced the vertical split log siding with board and batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
. In 1939 Lou Tate acquired the cabin and based her weaving business there, living on the property until her death in 1979. On a visit in the 1940s while still the First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
, Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
crushed a floorboard, which she later signed; it is now lost. While visiting the Loomhouse, Mrs. Roosevelt bought woven mats that would see use in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. Displays of weaving decorate the interior.
Other cabins
Wisteria, which houses the office and giftshop, was built in 1895 and similarly became endangered. In fact, it had to be closed for years due to erosion damage; in 1986, Jefferson County Judge/ExecutiveJefferson County Judge/Executive
The Jefferson County Judge/Executive, under state law, is the chief executive of Jefferson County, Kentucky. KRS 67.700 established the position of "County Judge/Executive" for all counties in Kentucky...
Harvey Sloane helped in a rededication ceremony celebrating the restoration of the cabin.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when supplies dwindled, and she rented out the cabin for both funding and providing a defense worker's family a place to live. Although endangered by development in the 1960s and 1970s, it still stands today as the home of the looms from which the Little Loomhouse gains its name, and where weaving is still taught.
Collective history
Lou Henry Hoover
Lou Henry Hoover was the wife of President of the United States Herbert Hoover and First Lady of the United States, 1929-1933. Mrs. Hoover was president of the Girl Scouts of the USA for two terms, 1922-1925 and 1935-1937....
, wife of President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
.
In his 1948 visit to Louisville, Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
praised both the cabins and the setting. In 1940, he described it as "board-and-batten summer houses, set down in the dignity of nature".
In 2007, the cabins were deteriorating. Stefanie Buzan put it succinctly: "They weren't built to last this long." Problems include tree trimming, sagging floors, and preventing the cabins from falling down the side of Kenwood Hill by using reinforcements. It is hoped that a second edition of Buzan's book will raise funds for these needed repairs, as the money made normally by the Loomhouse is not enough for the needed repairs.
It is open Tuesday through Thursday, and the third Saturday of each month, but never on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Christmas Eve, or the day after Christmas.
See also
- Iroquois, LouisvilleIroquois, LouisvilleIroquois is a neighborhood on the south side of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It is split into two parts by Beechmont. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Hazelwood Avenue, Beechmont, Third Street, Kenwood Drive, and Iroquois Park. The largely residential neighborhood was developed as a suburb...
- Iroquois ParkIroquois ParkIroquois Park is a 739 acre municipal park in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Louisville's Cherokee Park and Shawnee Park, at what were then the edges of the city. Located south of downtown, Iroquois Park was promoted as...
- List of attractions and events in Louisville, Kentucky
- Senning's ParkSenning's ParkSenning's Park was a park located across New Cut Road from Iroquois Park in Louisville, Kentucky, on the site of present-day Colonial Gardens. It was the site of the first zoo in Louisville, Kentucky's largest city.-Zoo days:...