Southern Living - May 2004

So you might wonder how the "folly" description came about. Is the three-story, 100- foot-tall house real or a mirage? The house is quite real and quite amazing. The residence seemed a little ahead of its time when it was being constructed in the late 1 870s. So much so that a neighboring farmer walking by the structure reportedly said, "This will surely be Jule Körner's folly."

Mr. Körner was so charmed by the comment that he named his home Körner's Folly. He even set the words in the tilework on the front porch. Körner was a gifted interior designer, painter, and decorator. The house was intended to be a temporary studio, office, bachelor quarters, and showroom for his design business. It was equipped with a billiard room and a carriage house and stables. But the temporary quarters became Jule's permanent residence, and the house - a bizarre mix of spaces, details, and features-was considered finished in 1880.

It's All in the Details - No matter how many homes you have toured, you'll still be amazed at the tricks and treasures awaiting you on the inside. You're immediately aware of that as you enter the foyer. Every square inch of the walls and ceilings shows incredible ornamentation, dominated by statues at the entrances to the stairs and the Reception Room. You could stand in one place for quite some time, turn slowly, and see something different every minute.

Luckily, a guide is available to direct you through this wonderland. You gawk like a child in a candy store as you go from one amazing room to the next. The house features 22 rooms, spread out over 3 floors and 7 levels, and ceilings range from 5 1/2 feet high in the children's rooms to 25 feet in the attic. There are 15 fireplaces, all with different designs, and there are all sorts of cubbyholes.

Room for Improvement - But Jule's bachelor pad underwent a few changes when he married Polly Alice Masten in 1886. Among the renovations made to accommodate her were moving the stables, originally a part of the house, across the street. In their place went rooms with much more civilized purposes, such as sewing and reading.

Although not the fanciest, the most intriguing spaces have to be the children's rooms whose short ceilings make grown-ups look like giants. But a close second has to be the little theater on the top floor, complete with stage, curtains, and special lighting. Called Cupid's Park, it was used by the Körners, their two children, and the community for recitals, dances, and plays. The theater serves as a fitting climax to the dramatic house that lies underneath.

Article by MARK G. STITH

Körner's Folly: 413 South Main Street, Kernersville, NC 27284; (336) 996-7922 or www.Körnersfolly.org. Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday­Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $6 adults, $3 ages 5-16 (admission is free on May 8 for Discovery Day). Directions: Take 1-40 Business to Exit 14, Kernersville-South Main Street. Travel north on South Main Street for about I mile. Note: Körner's Folly celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2005 with yearlong festivities.