Polymath Park Explained

40.1588°N -79.416°W

Polymath Park
Location:Acme, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Nearest Town:Acme, Pennsylvania
Area:130acres

Polymath Park is a 130acres resort near Acme in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The site features four historic houses: two relocated houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and two houses designed by apprentice Peter Berndtson. Polymath Park is located 60miles southeast of Pittsburgh in the Laurel Highlands of Western Pennsylvania.

Description

Polymath Park is surrounded by private forest in the Allegheny Mountains and features four architectural landmarks: Frank Lloyd Wright's (1867–1959) Donald C. Duncan House and R. W. Lindholm Residence, and the Balter and Blum Houses by Peter Berndtson (1909–1972), who was one of the original Wright apprentices.[1]

Polymath Park is near Wright's Fallingwater (23 miles) and Kentuck Knob (29 miles).

All four houses are open to guided tours and overnight guests. Duncan House and Lindholm House are the only Wright houses in the area that offer overnight stays.[2]

Polymath Park is run by the nonprofit Usonian Preservation Corporation.[3] Proceeds from rentals go toward maintenance of the houses and to architectural education programs.

History

Peter 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 Blum House in 1965.[4]

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.[5]

Lindholm House, named Mäntylä, was built in 1952 for R. W. Lindholm at Cloquet, Minnesota, and was dismantled in 2016 and rebuilt at Polymath Park in 2018. It opened in April 2019.[6]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Binda . Larry . September 30, 2019 . The Wright Site: At Polymath Park, you'll find a cluster of work from America's most famous architect. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240828155535/https://theburgnews.com/around-the-burg/the-wright-site-at-polymath-park-youll-find-a-cluster-of-work-from-americas-most-famous-architect . August 28, 2024 . August 28, 2024 . TheBurg . en-US.
  2. Web site: Tours . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240828161727/https://www.franklloydwrightovernight.net/about-3 . August 28, 2024 . August 28, 2024 . Polymath Park . en.
  3. Web site: Usonian Preservation Inc - GuideStar Profile . August 28, 2024 . www.guidestar.org.
  4. Web site: Frank Lloyd Wright's Duncan House ready for visitors . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240828160543/https://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2007/06/12/Frank-Lloyd-Wright-s-Duncan-House-ready-for-visitors/stories/200706120240 . August 28, 2024 . August 28, 2024 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . en.
  5. Web site: Davidson . Lauren . September 22, 2013 . Inside Polymath Park . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240828160403/https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/inside-polymath-park/ . August 28, 2024 . August 28, 2024 . Pittsburgh Magazine . en-US.
  6. Web site: Pickels . Mary . April 29, 2019 . Polymath Park opens second Frank Lloyd Wright home in Mt. Pleasant Township . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240828155535/https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/polymath-park-opens-second-frank-lloyd-wright-home-in-mt-pleasant-township/ . August 28, 2024 . August 28, 2024 . TribLIVE.com . en-US.