Körner's Folly

About

Körner's Folly in Kernersville is the house of Jule Gilmer Körner, an artist and designer, who began building it in 1878 as a showcase of his interior and furniture designs for clients. He kept remodeling it for the rest of his life, so no two doorways or windows match, the house has 15 fireplaces, and ceilings range from 5 ½ to 25 feet. Its twenty-two rooms over three floors and seven levels include child-size rooms, an elegant reception room, a library made from a former stable, and Cupid's Park Theatre, which may have been the country's earliest private little theater. Saved from demolition in 1970 by 26 local families, the house is now a museum run by the Körner's Folly Foundation, with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places; roughly 90% of its furnishings are original, along with paintings, cast plaster, carved woodwork and hand-laid tile. The foundation also hosts programs, performances and private events.