Kentucky Residence

The Kentucky residence at Pin Oak Farm is on the grounds of a large thoroughbred horse breeding and farming operation near Versailles, Kentucky. Grand Corinthian columns, carved pediment and cornice work, and graceful, balustered, double limestone staircases front and back produce an imposing effect for a residence that is, in fact, small and cozy.

An experienced English architect on his first commission in the United States, Quinlan Terry created a Palladian villa modeled after Marble Hill—built from 1724-1729, in Twickenham, England—for his Kentucky client. The Palladian style originated with an Italian architect, Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) who, in turn, was heavily influenced by classical Roman architecture.

The usually more grandiose interior features of a Palladian villa were trimmed by the home’s owner; she wanted a small Kentucky home and Terry complied, reinventing the monumental style and personality of a Palladian villa. He noted in an article published in the October, 1989, issue of Architectural Digest, that the carving done by Bybee Stone was “as good as anything in England.”