Long before “bringing the outdoors in” was a design trend and sustainability was a household concept, early-1900s Kansas City architect Mary Rockwell Hook was putting both into practice—starting with one of her most famous works, the Pink House.
Perched on a Sunset Hills cul-de-sac near Loose Park, Hook designed and built the Pink House soon after returning from the 1915 World’s Fair in San Francisco, where she fell in love with the pink plaster used on the fair’s pavilions. That rosy hue went on to define one of the city’s most distinctive homes.
The Pink House perfectly reflects Hook’s design philosophy: dramatic integration with the surrounding landscape, a Mediterranean-Italianate look and a playful, almost theatrical touch. “She borrowed heavily from the places she visited around the world, particularly European architecture styles and Filipino influences,” says Sarah Biegelsen, special collections librarian and archivist at the Kansas City Public Library…