The answer, as Phillips replied, is "Körner Folly."
According to www.kornersfolly.org, "One hundred twenty (126) years ago, a dapper young gentleman -- interior designer, decorator, painter -- broke ground on what he intended to be a showplace and a (very) temporary home. Soon to become famous as a painter of Bull Durham bulls across the South, Jule Gilmer Körner in 1878 headed a growing interior design business. He set out to create a combination bachelor's quarters, artist's studio, office, billiard and ballroom, carriage house and stables. The resulting design reportedly caused a cousin, strolling by one day as the structure rose into the sky, to comment, 'That will surely be Jule Körner's folly.'"
The unique structure, "offers 22 rooms spread out over three floors and seven levels, with ceiling heights ranging from six feet to 25 feet. It was a work-in-progress from the beginning: when Jule married Polly Alice Masten in 1886, portions were enclosed and the stables moved across the street; a top-level room was significantly converted in 1897; Körner died in 1924, feeling that the 'work' was still incomplete.'"
Complete or not, "the Folly defies simple description. It is said that no two doorways are exactly alike. It has 15 fireplaces of differing designs of American Encaustic Tiles. Its cubbyholes and trap doors fascinate; its pivoting "windows" and other openings anchor a unique air distribution system. Its murals and artworks add a sense of fancy. Children-sized rooms give way to an airy, elegant, high-ceilinged Reception Room. A former stable becomes a library and a sewing room."
A pair of tickets to the Lumina Theaters is on the way to Phillips.
Now it's time to reveal next week's Challenge. Here's how it works. Every week we'll pose a trivia question that has something to do with our community or North Carolina. The question might be about something that happened 20 years ago or someone who made the news just yesterday.
If you think you know the answer, send e-mail to chquiz@aol.com, or mail it on a postcard to Chapel Hill Challenge, The Chapel Hill Herald, 106 Mallette St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516. You also can send us a fax at (919) 918-1055. Make sure you include your name, address and phone number. Answers must be received by Thursday of the same week. Employees of the Durham Herald Co. are not eligible for the Challenge.
Each week there will be a drawing from all the correct answers. The winner will receive a pair of movie passes donated by the Lumina Theater in Southern Village. (Note: Passes may not be valid for certain shows.)
Ready to give it a try? Then grab your driving gloves while pondering the following: "Where can a motorist find the 'Road to Nowhere' in North Carolina?"
Good luck!
