John deKoven Hill

John deKoven Hill was born in 1920. Hill’s career began as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. He went on to become treasurer of the Taliesin Fellowship, honorary chairman of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and most importantly; Hill was Frank Lloyd Wright's closest and most trusted associate. From 1953 - 1963 Hill served as the architecture editor for House Beautiful Magazine and in 1964 Hill became the editorial director. In this function, Hill helped promote the cause of "Modern architecture" and particularly Wright's "Organic" approach.

John deKoven Hill’s career began as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. Hill decided on becoming an architect early on in his life but not until he visited Taliesin did he become passionate about Wright’s way of design. Hill skipped his high school graduation ceremony in the rush to enroll in the Taliesin Fellowship program on June 17, 1938 but he didn't meet Mr. or Mrs. Wright for another two weeks as they were en route from Russia. When the Wright’s did return, they made a grand entrance as they were a particularly engaging and charming couple. Hill was the "baby" in a group of 22 apprentices and was introduced to the Wrights. Hill was so young that Wright often introduced him not by his name but by: "This is Johnny. His father left him on my doorstep in a basket"(1). Hill started very green as an apprentice after only having finished high school but Hill went on to become Wright's most valuable and trusted associate. Hill had a keen sense of balance and an amazing eye for design. Hill's talents were associated with the work and ideas of Wright from then on. Hill became Wright's chief architect and right hand man. Hill also took responsibility for the designs and furnishings of all the interiors of the buildings Wright designed. Hill worked with the Wright Fellowship until his death in 1996.

John deKoven Hill and Wright designed a number of buildings together where Hill acted as Chief Designer. Hill was the chief architect and designer for the echt-Wrightian J. Ralph and Patricia Corbett House on 2501 Grandin Road in Cincinnati Ohio. The 2501 Grandin Road house was House Beautiful’s 1960 Pace Setter and is considered the culmination of Frank Lloyd Wright and John deKoven Hill's collaborative designs. Many features first seen in houses like Fallingwater and Taliesin are incorporated into the 2501 Grandin Road house. According to the Cincinnati MLS, this property was listed for sale on December 16, 2009 for $1,995,000. It went pending in 3 days and posted as closed in MLS on February 5, 2010 for $1,800,000. It was the first time the home had been offered for sale since it was built. At the time of sale, the home was in need of extensive repairs and improvements. The basic structure is built of concrete and steel.

John deKoven Hill died June 25, 1996 in Madison, Wisconsin. He was 76 years old.

1 Tales of Taliesin: a memoir of fellowship By Cornelia Brierly, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Page 114.

Link: "Looking for the Last Dive"; an article out of Cincinnati Magazine about the Corbett's and the Grandin House. [1]

Link: "House Beautiful's 1960 Pace Setter"; pictures of the original article from 1960 House Beautiful magazine. [2]

Link: "Hill, John ("Johnnie") deKoven; Biographical Dictionary of Cincinnati Architects, 1788-1940 from the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati; [3]