Polymath Park
Encyclopedia
Polymath Park is a 125 acre (0.5058575 km²) resort 60 miles (96.6 km) southeast of Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
, USA, in the Laurel Highlands
of Western Pennsylvania
.
The site, near the village of Acme
in Westmoreland County
, is surrounded by private forest in the Allegheny Mountains
and features three architectural landmarks: Frank Lloyd Wright
's (1867–1959) Donald C. Duncan House and two others by Peter Berndtson
(1909–1972), who was one of the original Wright apprentices. The park is near Wright's Fallingwater
(15 miles) and Kentuck Knob
(30 miles). Duncan House is the only Wright house in the area that accommodates overnight visitors.
Berndtson's 1962 master plan for Polymath Park allowed for 24 dwellings, each sited in a circular clearing in the forest. Only two houses, however, were actually built: the Balter House in 1964 and the 1965 Blum House. Duncan House was added to the park in June 2007. Built in 1957 in Lisle, Illinois
for Donald and Elizabeth Duncan, Wright's prefab Usonian was deconstructed in suburban Chicago in 2004 and reassembled in Pennsylvania.
Polymath Park is run by the nonprofit Usonian Preservation Corporation. Proceeds from rentals go toward maintenance of the houses and to architectural education programs.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA, in the Laurel Highlands
Laurel Highlands
The Laurel Highlands is a region in southwestern Pennsylvania made up of Fayette County, Somerset County and Westmoreland County. It has a population of about 600,000 people....
of Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
.
The site, near the village of Acme
Acme, Pennsylvania
Acme is an unincorporated community, identified by ZIP code 15610, in Mount Pleasant and Donegal Townships, both in Westmoreland County, and Bullskin Township in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States...
in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, is surrounded by private forest in the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
and features three architectural landmarks: 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...
's (1867–1959) Donald C. Duncan House and two others by Peter Berndtson
Peter Berndtson
Peter Berndtson was an American architect.Born in Massachusetts, he studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for two years, but dropped out after his father died...
(1909–1972), who was one of the original Wright apprentices. The park is near Wright's Fallingwater
Fallingwater
Fallingwater or Kaufmann Residence is a house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh...
(15 miles) and Kentuck Knob
Kentuck Knob
Kentuck Knob, also known as the Hagan House, is a residence designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in rural Stewart Township near the village of Chalk Hill, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA, about southeast of Pittsburgh...
(30 miles). Duncan House is the only Wright house in the area that accommodates overnight visitors.
Berndtson's 1962 master plan for Polymath Park allowed for 24 dwellings, each sited in a circular clearing in the forest. Only two houses, however, were actually built: the Balter House in 1964 and the 1965 Blum House. Duncan House was added to the park in June 2007. Built in 1957 in Lisle, Illinois
Lisle, Illinois
Lisle is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,930 at the 2011 census, and estimated to be 23,135 as of 2008. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor...
for Donald and Elizabeth Duncan, Wright's prefab Usonian was deconstructed in suburban Chicago in 2004 and reassembled in Pennsylvania.
Polymath Park is run by the nonprofit Usonian Preservation Corporation. Proceeds from rentals go toward maintenance of the houses and to architectural education programs.